The Wildest Dream starring Leo Houlding and Conrad Anker and telling the story of Mallory and Irvine’s 1924 Everest expedition will be premiered on UK television on Wednesday 17 August.
George Mallory was obsessed with becoming the first person to conquer the untouched Mount Everest. He was last seen 800 feet below the summit in 1924, before the clouds rolled in and he disappeared into legend. His death stunned the world.
75 years later, climber Conrad Anker’s life became intertwined with Mallory’s after finding his frozen body with all his belongings intact. The only thing missing was a photograph of his wife, Ruth, which Mallory had promised to place on the summit. Haunted by Mallory’s story, Conrad Anker returns to Everest with British climbing prodigy Leo Houlding to unravel the mysteries surrounding his disappearance.
The story is told by intertwining modern mountaineering footage with the letters between Mallory and his wife Ruth. Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Natasha Richardson and Alan Rickman are among the actors providing voiceovers. The film, directed by Anthony Geffen and first released in IMAX format, will be shown on BBC2 at 9pm on Wednesday 17 August and again at 5:30pm on Sunday 21 August.