In 1961, Kempton Bunton, a 60-year old taxi driver, stole Goya’s portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in London. It was the first (and remains the only) theft in the Gallery’s history.

Kempton sent ransom notes saying that he would return the painting on condition that the government invested more in care for the elderly - he had long campaigned for pensioners to receive free television.

What happened next became the stuff of legend. Only 50 years later did the full story emerge - Kempton had spun a web of lies. The only truth was that he was a good man, determined to change the world and save his marriage - how and why he used the Duke to achieve that is a wonderfully uplifting tale.

Meet me at the Matinée: Following the success of our funding programme of Watch Warm Wednesdays, which allowed us to provide free screenings over the past two winters, many of our audience told us how much they loved coming together to watch films in the afternoon. So, this year, we’re introducing our Meet me at the Matinée programme, featuring a variety of films to entertain you as we head into autumn.

While this new programme is not funded like Watch Warm Wednesday, the ticket price covers complimentary tea, coffee, and homemade baked goods.

Doors open 2.30pm