Richard Burton

www.welshnationaltheatre.com/playing-burton Tickets have just gone on sale at The Old Vic. Celebrate Rich's 100 with Matthew Rhys.

10 Oct 75 Got shamefully sloshed and despite all my idiocies - nasty too - we are as happy as children. We catch our breaths every so often and say with a kind of smiling wonder and delight. 'Hey!' Do you realize we are actually married?

9 Oct 75 Stayed in bed all day yesterday. Read and slept. E fed me in bed lunch, though had dinner in living room. Looks like marriage is on. I wonder why I am still doubtful. It doesn't seem right but I don't know why. Perhaps I'm afraid of legal responsibility.

30 Sep 75 About 5-15 baboons surrounded our suite. We thought it normal but discovered that it was a phenomenon never seen before. It would of course occur when E was here. Hereforth to be known as Elizabeth's baboons. Strange Richard Barrett (3 Degrees man) pestered us all evening. Quite scary.

29 Sep 75 Johannesburg - Chobe Jet (Lear) to Chobe. 1 hour 45 minutes. Landed on grass strip. Very bumpy. Saw elephants, baboons, buffaloes? Other people had terrible journey. Married Elizabeth Zulu fashion.

27 Sep 75 Tennis. Ugh!... Ringo out of his skull. Very unhappy man.

26 Sep 75 Johannesburg. Went to 'club' downstairs with creepy Peter Lawford. Terrible food danced with unknown girl. Press took pics. Also said I was drunk. Cheek. Went to tennis. Pres and wife. Usual agonizing boredom stiff with protocol.

Claudia Cardinale RIP xx

Richard Burton season announced by BBC to mark centenary New documentary Richard Burton - Wild Genius and feature film Mr Burton to broadcast on the BBC this November, 100 years since the Welsh actor and global superstar's birth

www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/...

9 July 1970 Hammersmith Is Out could go at the end of the year and E wants a bloke who is very hot at the moment called Robert Redford. She says he's very good.

Richard Burton 10 November 1925 - 5 August 1984

3 August 1975 Glorious day. ETB phoned. What will it be like seeing her again. I'm a little scared.

1 August 1975 National Holiday. Went shopping Geneva. Bought new typewriter.

Sunday 13 July 1975 ETB returned Leningrad. She sounds a harassed mess. Wonder if I can put up with all that again. Also she is beginning to sound like her mother at times. Frightening prospect.

1 July 1975 Tuesday. Biked and read am perfectly content when not boozing.

Friday 20 June 1975 Same.

18 June 1975 Wednesday. Boozed mildly. Weather dreadful.

June 10 1975 Lunched at La Reserve. Took MG to be overhauled. Read, but still no writing. All this stuff bursting to come out but no response from the body - writing I mean.

9 June 1975 Write letter to ETB but can't bring myself to send it.

Thursday 29 May 1975 Wrote E. Read and read.

Weds 28 May 75 Lunch and chat with one Goldman - potential producer of Dustman. Dread it. Turned out to be nice but callow. Too much so for a producer perhaps. We shall see. Saw Leeds beaten by Huns.

Tuesday 27 May 1975 Home from three day check-up in clinic. OK everywhere except for slightly enlarged liver. No wonder.

Monday 26 May 1975 More tests hate clinics

Saturday 24 May 1975 Went into clinic late afternoon.

Friday 23 May 1975. Booze.

Thursday 22 May 1975. Booze

Tues 20 May 1975 Booze.

Monday 19 May 1975 Booze.

Sunday 18 May 1975 Booze.

Friday 16 May 75 Read all day. Talked E in Leningrad. Sounded fine. Her film moving at last. No news of mine. Hope there never is.