Elizabeth Taylor: Rebel Superstar

Elizabeth’s story begins with an astronomical rise to fame from child star to leading lady during Hollywood’s Golden Age, the first episode of this series looks at a young Elizabeth’s public persona created for her by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. We see Elizabeth realise her value as one of MGM’s hottest commodities and begin to look beyond the confines of the studio in search of a life lived on her terms.

Elizabeth is devastated following the tragic loss of her third husband. She seeks comfort from those closest to her, leading to a scandal which threatens to ruin her reputation as Hollywood’s shining star, but manages to negotiate a record-breaking $1-million-dollar contract for her most iconic role as Cleopatra. Her performance is rivalled by the real-life drama of her love affair with costar Richard Burton. Public fascination with the glamour of Elizabeth’s globe-trotting private life, her work as an actor comes to be overshadowed.

As the 1980s come into focus, Elizabeth hits rock bottom. A seventh marriage takes her to Washington where she struggles to reinvent herself as a senator’s wife. Elizabeth descends into a dark spiral of self-destruction and becomes the first celebrity to go public with her rehab experience. Armed with a renewed strength, Elizabeth feels compelled to speak out on the outbreak of a deadly disease sweeping the nation. She wields her fame like few others before her and how she came to transform the face of celebrity activism for generations to come.