Alexander Fleming at BFI Southbank

A highlight of the series Biography, this is the inside story of Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin and the search to refine it into a stable substance that could be used to cure humans. Ian Curteis’ script nicely balances the need to impart the facts with creating fully rounded characters out of Fleming, and friend and colleague Sir Almroth Wright, played to perfection by Rupert Davies. A fine example of how drama can be used to humanise and contextualise a great scientific discovery.