Commissioned by BBC Two and BBC One Wales to mark the centenary of Dylan Thomas’s birth, the drama will explore how Dylan Thomas, the creator of some of the most memorable lines in the English language, died in a smog-ridden New York on a November day in 1953, aged 39.

The officail synopsis reads: “Set in New York and Laugharne, A Poet In New York begins when Dylan arrives in the city on his fourth and fatal visit to rehearse, write and party. One of the most famous poets in the world by the early 1950s, Dylan’s popular and electrifying tours had also made him a much-loved celebrity in America.

“He was on his way to Hollywood to write an opera with Stravinsky. But, before he headed west, he had to earn enough to fund the trip by fulfilling a commitment to take part in a production of the recently completed Under Milk Wood at the prestigious Poetry Centre in Manhattan. What might have been a triumphant new departure in his career and life turned instead into a requiem for a man whose life had spiralled out of control.”

Tom Hollander commented: “I am thrilled to be playing Dylan Thomas for Aisling Walsh in Andrew Davies’ wonderful A Poet In New York… Thomas was a great poet, whose blazing life and premature death left both a considerable poetic legacy and an enduring reputation for bad behaviour. He was also quite fat. Playing him is both a wonderful acting challenge and a great opportunity to eat things that I would normally have to avoid.”

The cast will also include Essie Davis (The Slap), as Dylan’s wife Caitlin, Ewen Bremner (Trainspotting) and Phoebe Fox (Switch).

Essie Davis commented: “I am very excited to be part of this production and working with this terrific team on A Poet In New York. I played Polly Garter in Under Milk Wood in high school and have loved Dylan Thomas since that first meeting. Caitlin has an interesting story to tell and it is thrilling to be part of a project celebrating the centenary of his birth.”

Writer Andrew Davies added: “I’m delighted that we’ve secured Tom Hollander to play Dylan. He’s a wonderful actor, with a striking resemblance to the poet, he’s captured the wonderful voice, and he has, more than any other actor I can think of, that outrageous charm that drew so many people to Dylan.”

Directed by Aisling Walsh (Room At The Top), A Poet In New York has begun filming in Cardiff and Laugharne, and will air on BBC Two and BBC One Wales in 2014.

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