Hawking: 'Watching Redmayne reminded me of when I was a young man'

Stephen Hawking with Felicity Jones and Eddie Redmayne, who play him and his wife in the film. Credit: PA

Stephen Hawking was on the red carpet tonight at the UK premiere of a biopic of his life, The Theory Of Everything.

The physicist was joined by the stars of the movie, including Eddie Redmayne, who is tipped for an Oscar for his portrayal of a young Hawking.

Hawking said watching Redmayne play him reminded him of being a young man.

Actress Felicity Jones stars as Hawking's first wife Jane in the tale of their relationship, Hawking's early career and his diagnosis with motor neurone disease in 1963.

The film is based on a book Jane wrote about the couple's early life which sold 10 million copies.

Redmayne admitted that despite having crossed paths with the professor as a student at Cambridge, he still felt starstruck at the prospect of playing him.

He said: "I'd seen Stephen across campus, heard his voice, but I was pretty ignorant so when I read the script, everything was a revelation.

"Stephen and Jane let Felicity and I into their lives, so we felt an enormous amount of responsibility to get it right."

Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson attended the premiere. Credit: PA

The premiere was also attended by director James Marsh and co-stars Maxine Peake, David Thewlis, Harry Lloyd and Simon McBurney and the Duchess of York even put in an appearance.

The Theory Of Everything is released in cinemas on January 1.