Lionel Logue was a man who possessed a name that was both alliterative, and had a most fabulous cadence.
He was dashing as a young fellow; natty, dapper, and wore a nice line in bow ties.
Best of all, he had a neatly groomed quiff.
With the right name and a sense of style, a man can become anything.
Lionel became quite chummy with King George VI, something of a rise in status for a boy from Adelaide, Australia.
His skills as a speech therapist propelled him high into the sphere of Royal society, and the stage was set for his skills to help George VI overcome his debilitating stammer, wrest the throne from his smarmy and flighty brother Edward, beat the evil Adolf Hitler in hand-to-hand combat and write War and Peace.
Or something like that. I wasn't really concentrating.
Anyway, just as it may have appeared his star had burned and faded into history, film types madeThe King's Speech, and Lionel's place in the cosmos was set.
The King's Speech was a major box office and critical success, winning seven Baftas and four Oscars, and grossing more than $400 million internationally.
That clearly means lots of people have watched it, even if I haven't, and will probably be interested in the real story of Lionel, coming up this Sunday on National Geographic.
The Real King's Speech actually has something of an interesting premise.
Three months out from filming of The King's Speech, (less real) the producers uncovered Lionel's grandson Mike.
Mike of Hertfordshire, or similar.
Mike had inherited a fantastic archive of letters and documents owned by his grandfather, but oddly, had not quite got around to looking at them.
Strangely, with the cameras on and bevy of filming types around, he has become obsessed with his grandfather's work.
He lurches forth on his quest for all things Lionelesque, flying to Adelaide to meet a couple of dear old nieces of the man himself, despite admitting "I don't feel much connection with Australia".
The dear old nieces remember something about prunes, cackle happily away, and Mike has tea with them.
We learn more about Lionel's past, his interest in elocution, his public speaking, his trips to America and England with his wife Myrtle, and his decision to set up shop in Harley St, London, as a speech therapist.
It is not long before he changes the course of history by allowing dear George to find his voice, boldly lead his country of decent, hard working folk through the war, and match oratory techniques with his evil nemesis, master orator, Hitler, A.
All this, National Geographic, Sunday, June 12 at 7.30pm.
