Arena: The Peter Sellers Story

Using a unique collection of his own home movies shot between 1948 and 1977 and discovered years after his death, this film presents an intriguing and intimate portrait of Peter Sellers.

Peter Sellers was one of the world's greatest and best-loved comic actors. Throughout his meteoric rise from vaudeville comedian in shabby post-war London to glamorous Hollywood megastar, via The Goons, The Ladykillers, Dr Strangelove, the Pink Panther films and Being There, he continually shot home movies.

As well as his family (including second wife Britt Ekland) and those who worked for him, a gallery of celebrities passed in front of his lens, from Stanley Kubrick and Sophia Loren to Robert Wagner and members of the Royal Family, in particular Princess Margaret and Prince Charles.

Sellers claimed to have no identity of his own outside the characters he played. Yet the real Peter Sellers did appear on film, his own film, as he obsessively documented his own life on his own cameras.

Through voiceovers from Sellers and colleagues, collaborators and wives, this revealing film, which contains many rare moments of footage, builds a fascinating and unique record of an irreplaceable genius and a compelling and definitive portrait of the man and his life.

First released: Monday 24th October 2005

Extra features

• I Say, I Say, I Say: 10 minute short film from 1964, with Peter Sellers, Britt Ekland, Princess Margaret, Lord Snowdon and Jocelyn Stevens.
• Unbroadcast Irish TV Interview
• Photo Gallery
• TWA and PG Tips Ads
• The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film