Former Mr. Angelina Jolie, Jonny Lee Miller as the tragic poet Byron.

Lord Byron on BBC

Mad, bad, and dangerous to know, the words society beauty Lady Caroline Lamb used almost two hundred years ago to describe Lord Byron have become synonymous with the man who revolutionized English poetry. BBC America presents the opulent biopic Byron, which captures the passion, recklessness, and profound influence of the poet’s short and extraordinary life. Byron, which stars Jonny Lee Miller and Oscar-winning Vanessa Redgrave, premieres Saturday, October 22, 2005 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

Byron opens when, after much wild living and extensive traveling through Europe, Lord Byron (Jonny Lee Miller, Aeon Flux, Trainspotting) returns to England for the publication of Childe Harolde's Pilgrimage, his epic poem of adventures among Albanian bandits and Turkish sultans. The work is received with rapture -- suddenly, he is the toast of London society and no party is a success without him. Women throw themselves at him, but Byron falls deeply in love with the one woman that he cannot have: his half-sister Augusta (Natasha Little, Man and Boy).

When she becomes pregnant, he is widely rumored to be the father. Hoping to stem gossip, he proposes to pious heiress Annabella Millbanke, but it’s a short-lived, disaster of a marriage. When Annabella finally learns of Byron’s love for Augusta, a vicious scandal erupts and Byron flees the country. He is never to see his beloved Augusta again, but remains in her life via compulsive letter writing.

While exiled in a magnificent Venetian palazzo, Byron throws himself into a life of abandon. Masquerades, drink and literally hundreds of women help pass the time when he is not writing. He bonds with fellow poet Shelley, who reawakens his interest in politics. After Shelley dies in a shipwreck, Byron dedicates himself to the fight for Greek independence, but before he sees any action he succumbs to a fatal fever and dies at age thirty-six, with his ever-faithful and long-suffering servant Fletcher by his side.

Byron star Jonny Lee Miller says of the role, When I read the script, I thought, God, this is seriously good. I knew very little about Byron before that. My image of him was that he was this dark, gothic type of character, which is really only a tiny part of him.

Also starring Oscar-winning actress Vanessa Redgrave, Stephen Campbell Moore (Bright Young Things), Natasha Little (Man and Boy, This Life), Philip Glenister (Hornblower, State of Play), and featuring costumes from Oscar-winning costume designer Jenny Beavan. Byron is a BBC America/BBC co-production.

Cast And Production Credits

Lord Byron Jonny Lee Miller (Trainspotting, Aeon Flux)

William Fletcher Philip Glenister (Hornblower, Vanity Fair)

John Cam Hobhouse Stephen Campbell Moore (Bright Young Things, The Boss)

Augusta Leigh Natasha Little (Man & Boy, Vanity Fair, This Life)

Lady Melbourne Vanessa Redgrave (Julia, The Gathering Storm, Mrs. Dalloway)

Annabella Milbanke Julie Cox (Dune, David Copperfield, The Scarlet Pimpernel)

Lady Caroline Lamb Camilla Power (Sparkhouse, Inspector Lynley)

Percy Bysshe Shelley Oliver Dimsdale (He Knew He Was Right)

Mary Shelley Sally Hawkins (Vera Drake, Layer Cake)

John Murray Michael Elwyn (Bad Girls, Daniel Deronda)

Lady Judith Milbanke Penny Downie (The Girl in the Cafe, Lost for Words)

Sir Ralph Milbanke David Ryall (Lucky Jim, Around the World in 80 Days)

Anne Rood/Fletcher Mali Harries (Inspector Lynley, Foyle’s War)

Contessa Teresa Guiccioli Branca Katic (The Truth About Love, Clocking Off)

Scrope Davies Oliver Milburn (The Forsyte Saga,Tess of the D'Urbervilles)

Bessy Tracey Murphy (Oliver Twist)

Colonel Leigh Nicholas Pritchard (Finding Neverland)

Lady Holland Jane How (Love in a Cold Climate)

Costumes by Jenny Beavan (A Room With A View, Sense and Sensibility)

Written by Nick Dear (Persuasion, Cinderella, Turn of the Screw, Eroica)

Director Julian Farino (Flesh and Blood, Our Mutual Friend)

Producer Ruth Baumgarten (Inspector Lynley Mysteries, A Respectable Trade)

Executive producers Hilary Salmon (BBC), Laura Mackie (BBC),

Andrea Miller (BBC Scotland), David Bernath (BBC America)