WE all know Stephen Hawking as a scientific genius but a new Sky documentary has taken a more personal look at the professor’s private life.
Sky Original documentary Hawking: Do You Hear Me? It will be streamable on September 17th and provides insight into Hawking’s divorces and marriages.
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Producer Anthony Geffen 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’s children Robert, Lucy and Tim all appear in the documentary as well as the professor’s first wife Jane.
Hawking’s second spouse, Elaine Mason, who was his wife for 11 years, is not included in the 90-minute piece.
Elaine Mason was asked about her side of the story and declined to respond.
The documentary touches on how Mason was repeatedly accused of “physically and emotionally” abusing him.
It discusses how a number of people came forward claiming Mason’s treatment was “controlling and manipulative”.
Mason was subject to an investigation by the police, but was not charged with any crime.
Hawking publicly denied the claims, despite showing up at the hospital in 2000 with “cuts and bruises” that he couldn’t explain.
The documentary features Lucy, Hawking’s daughter. She is visibly upset as she talks about the hard times that the family went through.
The documentary examines the human costs of Hawking’s fame, both to Hawking and his family.
Jane, Hawking’s first wife, says that she used to fantasize about jumping into the river. She couldn’t handle the pressure of her personal life.
In the documentary, Jonathan Hellyer Jones, her husband of the present is featured. They discuss how difficult it was to fall in love when Jane was still married and Jones was providing care.
The family also discusses Hawking’s anger at Jane not kissing him on the lips.
The family also discusses Hawking’s achievements and personal struggles.
As his family was swept up in the fame, the groundbreaking book A Brief History of Time and its success is seen from their perspective.
Here you can also see the genius as a child, and as a Cambridge student.
Hawking’s personal assistant Judy Fella summarised: “He was just a lovely normal person and that’s how it was really.”
You can watch Hawking: Can You Hear Me? Sky Documentaries and NOW, September 20.
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