A period drama with a famous cast has been added to BBC iPlayer and fans are gripped
The Boys in the Boat is on BBC iPlayer(Image: BBC screengrab)
A “remarkable” period drama based on a best-selling book is available to stream now and fans have said it’s a “must watch”.
The Boys in the Boat, which stars Joel Edgerton and Callum Turner, is based on the popular 2013 book by Daniel James Brown and follows the University of Washington rowing team as they set their sights on competing in the Olympics.
Set during the Great Depression, it follows Joe Rantz (played by Callum), a struggling student who joins the rowing team simply to earn enough money to stay in college. He and a group of other young men face financial trouble and hardship but rise through the ranks with their rowing skills, with Joel as their coach Al. Their journey eventually takes them all the way to the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
Directed and co-produced by George Clooney, the movie made a splash when it was first unveiled in 2023 and it is winning over a new audience after it was added to the BBC iPlayer, where it is streaming now.
One fan wrote on Reddit that the movie was “remarkable”, while others called it “outstanding”.
Several noted how emotional it made them, with one posting on Letterboxd that it “had me crying” when they tuned in.
“I got goosebumps, my heart was racing, I cried,” said someone else, as another described it as “an emotional rollercoaster”.
Another person said that it left them “sobbing”, and someone else wrote online: “Made me laugh, it made me cry a little, it inspired me.”
One fan said they were “choked up several times” watching as Joe and the rest of the team strove to make their dream of Olympic glory come true.
Discussing a part of the film in Frontpage magazine, one person said: “I swear to deity, I started crying right then; I would go on to cry multiple times throughout the film.”
“I absolutely loved it (and had a tear in my eye),” said another.
The Boys in the Boat also stars Peter Guinness, Jack Mulhern, Thomas Elms and Luke Slattery. Actress Hadley Robinson stars as Joyce Simdars, Joe’s love interest, in the film.
The Boys in the Boat is available on BBC iPlayer.