The Lord of the Rings is now recognised as a literary classic, the language and spirit of its 'Middle Earth' embraced by readers worldwide. Interweaving readings, interviews with contemporaries and biographers, with rare footage of the author, the film reveals a private, academic man at odds with the celebrity and cult status his books attained. This BBC produced documentary takes an in-depth look at the life of legendary fantasy author J.R.R. Tolkien, examining how his childhood in the English West Midlands influenced his ideas on language, literature, and mythology, and how the modest author felt about his immense success following publication of the Hobbit, and Lord of the Rings.