"Marvellous"is a docudrama about Neil Baldwin,a man who is wired just a little differently to most of us.Neil can see a solution before a problem is even apparent to others."It's good to be nice to people" is his credo and he lives it 100% long after most of us would have thought it's good to give some people a smack.A footballer at Stoke City refers to him as a "mong" and Neil says calmly and politely "I am not a mong" and carries on having forgotten the incident. The programme could have been mawkish,or sentimental,or patronising,or deadly serious,but in fact it is very funny and uplifting - much like its subject. Neil's obsession with Stoke City F.C. leads to him being given the job of kitman by the then manager Lou Macari who is eventually poached by Celtic but he uses Neil as a sub in his last home game - a wonderful gesture. As Macari is leaving he turns to Nello and says "You once asked me who was my best signing?Well,you were ....by far and away".Brilliantly played by both actors. The programme is made in what might be described as the Richard Lester school of early post - modern irony with Neil Baldwin appearing as himself from time to time,correcting the screenplay when it is in danger of verging into the hyperbolic. Neil is a registered circus clown and a stalwart student helper at Keele University whose work was recognised by an honorary degree. But you feel his heart is at the football club where he has become a cult figure. But most of all,"Marvellous" is a celebration of the indomitability of the human spirit,the triumph of the unorthodox and the affect of a truly child - like grown - up person on those around him. I found it funny and moving in equal measures and turned off the TV feeling slightly more optimistic about my fellow men than is my wont at 10.30 at night.

Marvellous is actually based on a true person. Neil Baldwin lives with his mum, deeply religious and wants to run away to the circus to be a clown and make people happy.

Neil is also a person with mild learning difficulties, his mother is worried how he could cope on his own but Neil never lets setbacks hold him back. He makes friends whether its bishops, Archbishops, politicians or football managers.

After being abandoned by the circus, he becomes a greeter at Keele University, he becomes a kit-man to his beloved Stoke City and befriended by their manager Lou Macari. He even turned up regularly at the Oxbridge boat race standing behind the race referee.

Neil was eventually awarded a honorary degree in 2013 at Keele University. Its a life affirming film with the real Neil Baldwin popping up with Toby Jones who portrays him alongside other real life individuals such as Lou Macari. Its almost a fantasy but you keep getting reminded that this is based on true facts as these real people pop up. When you see Neil having tea with Tony Benn in the House of Commons is because he really did know his son Stephen.

Jones does a good job in getting under the skin of Neil, channelling his optimistic spirit and also the doldrums that he enters when his mother dies. Its moving as well as funny with tinges of sadness.

The film is supposedly a period piece but you are never sure when in the past its based, I guess much of the events took place in the 1970s but Macari became manager for Stoke in the early 1990s and Neil has been an unofficial greeter for Keele University for around 50 years when he got there as a schoolboy.

It surely is an individualistic, rather left field film, well it had to be made that way if they wanted to display Neil's indomitable spirit.

I saw small segments of the advert on television, and the article in the television schedules for this TV made film, at first I didn't know what it was, but because of the leading actor, and reading the description, it definitely sounded worthwhile. Based on the true story, Neil Baldwin (Toby Jones) was born just after World War II in Westlands in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, he is a man considered to have learning difficulties, but he has an appetite for life, and lives by the philosophy "I've always wanted to be happy, so I decided to be." With encouragement from his mother Mary (Gemma Jones) Neil joined the circus to become Nello the Clown, having left his job at the butchery, but he seems undaunted when the circus moves on without him, so he finds a cleaning job in Keele University, he also appoints himself unofficial greeter to new students, a role rewarded by an honorary degree in 2013. Neil has a passion for football, he manages the University's unofficial football team, named after him, and in 1992 he goes to meet and support the new manager of Stoke City, Lou Macari (Tony Curran),his beloved football team, and talks his way into becoming the team's kit man and unofficial mascot. With his friendly personality, his religious faith, and unflinching attitude there are no boundaries for Neil, he is able to turn up at the House of Commons and have tea with MP Tony Benn, he becomes a friend of Prince Andrew at Cambridge University which results in his name being on the Queen's Christmas card list, and claims to be friends to many religious and celebrity names, including the Archbishop of Canterbury, with their autographs and photographs in books, including Bibles. Neil overcomes setbacks through his life, including the death of his beloved Mother, who had been showing signs of being sick, but he never lets his limitations and unknown people's negative visions of him stop him from seizing opportunities, making many friends (close and distant) and living a marvellous life. Also starring Nicholas Gleaves as Rev Mark and Fresh Meat's Greg McHugh as Malcolm, and cameo appearances from Gary Lineker, Uriah Rennie, Norman Barrett, and the real Lou Macari and Neil Baldwin himself. Jones gives a fantastic and highly believable performance as the man with learning difficulties who always seems to remain positive, this biographical film has many elements to it, it has the realistic serious scenes, but in moments it becomes comedy, a musical, and clashes the scenes with both acted and the real footage which is really clever to watch, a great comedy drama. Very good!