This is a unique documentary of Irish author Samuel Beckett - one of the towering figures in the history of the theatre, and probably the most famous playwright of the 20th century, whose works have been translated into over 20 languages. In 1969 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for Literature (and, in a typically bizarre aside, he also, briefly, played first-class cricket).

Shot on location in Dublin and France, the film traces the artistic life of the playwright through his prose, plays and poetry. Beckett himself was closely involved in the making of this film, which includes previously unknown visual material. Indeed, the original script of Waiting for Godot is seen in public for the first time.

The Beckett specialist David Warrilow narrates a variety of texts. Billie Whitelaw, Jack McGowan and Patrick Magee, Beckett's great dramatic interpreters, all appear in selected extracts from his plays.