Sky reveals first look and premiere date for highly anticipated documentary Hawking: Can You Hear Me?

Tuesday 31 August 2021

California 1974. Family photograph. Copyright Hawking Estate

Sky has today revealed an exclusive first look image, a never-seen-before family photograph, for highly anticipated Sky Original documentary Hawking: Can You Hear Me? The 90-min theatrical documentary, which explores the remarkable human story of Professor Stephen Hawking through unprecedented access to his family and their private archives, is set to premiere on Sky Documentaries and NOW on Monday 20 September.

This never-seen-before family photograph features Professor Stephen Hawking with his then wife Jane, son Robert and daughter Lucy on their California estate in 1974.

The world-famous cosmologist, Stephen Hawking, died in March of 2018. Now his family, friends and colleagues speak candidly, for the first time, about the unseen world behind Hawking’s rise to the status of gilded genius and international icon. What was the true human cost – to himself and those around him – of his genius? This documentary explores the incredible life of this iconic physicist, but also the untold human story.

This is the story of Stephen Hawking’s life told not by historians, biographers or commentators, but by the people who were there at the time; the people in the room with him. Scenes from critical and defining moments in his life are told by the people who were present as the events and discoveries unfolded, and who were directly impacted by his triumphs and tragedies.

Contributors include Stephen’s children Robert, Lucy and Tim, and his first wife Jane, alongside a raft of renowned scientists who consider him an inspiration, a role-model, a peer, and a friend, for a fascinatingly well-rounded portrait of the scientist, the family man, and all the facets of Stephen’s life.

Anthony Geffen, multi-Emmy and BAFTA-winning Producer, said: “After more than five years collaborating with the late Stephen Hawking, and his close family and friends, and with exclusive access to their family archive, we have finally been able to tell his extraordinary story from the inside, by the people who really knew him.”

Hawking: Can You Hear Me? is a Sky Original documentary, produced by Atlantic Productions and directed by Oliver Twinch.

Download the image here: https://we.tl/t-pY9cKDhwvv

Media Contacts

Sneh Rupra, Premier – Sneh.Rupra@premiercomms.com

About Sky

Sky is Europe’s leading media and entertainment company and is proud to be part of Comcast Corporation. Across six countries, we connect our 23.4 million customers to the best entertainment, sports, news and arts including our own award-winning original content.

Our technology, including the market leading Sky Q, connects people to everything they love – with entertainment from Sky TV, Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video and BBC iPlayer, and apps like Spotify, YouTube, BBC Sounds, Highbrow, Peloton, Fiit, and more, in one place, easy. Our streaming service NOW brings viewers all the enjoyment of Sky with the flexibility of a contract-free service. Through our new B2B broadband provider, Sky Connect, we offer superfast broadband with business-grade 4G back-up to small businesses in the UK.

Building on the success of Sky Originals like Chernobyl, Gangs of London and Brassic, we are doubling our investment in original content by 2024 through Sky Studios. Sky News provides impartial and trustworthy journalism for free, Sky Arts is the UK’s only dedicated free-to-air arts channel making the arts accessible for everyone and Sky Sports, our leading sports broadcasting service, brings customers some of the biggest and best global sporting events from the Premier League to Formula 1 and everything in-between. Our new TV and movie studio, Sky Studios Elstree, which will open in 2022, is expected to create over 2,000 new jobs and generate an additional £3 billion of production investment in the UK over the first five years.

We believe that we can be a force for good in the communities in which we operate. We’re committed to being Europe’s first net zero carbon entertainment company by 2030 and we’re proud to be a Principal Partner and Media Partner of COP26. We take pride in our approach to diversity and inclusion: we’ve been recognised by The Times and Stonewall for our commitment to diversity and we’ve set ambitious 2025 targets to continue to increase diversity and representation. We’re also committed to investing £30million across our markets over three years to improve our approach to diversity and inclusion, and to tackle racial injustice.

About Atlantic Productions

Atlantic Productions is a multi-Emmy and multi-BAFTA award winning independent factual production company. In 28 years, it has built a reputation for world-class storytelling, enhanced by the latest technology. Their diverse output includes 13 projects with David Attenborough including BAFTA award-winning Flying Monsters, Museum Alive (Sky) and Great Barrier Reef with David Attenborough (BBC); The Coronation (BBC), Time Scanners (NatGeo), Belsen: Our Story (BBC), Jerusalem: City of Heaven (Discovery) and the acclaimed theatrical film The Wildest Dream: Conquest of Everest.