The piece is loosely based on the controversial book review Dahl wrote in response to God Cried by Tony Clifton and Catherine Leroy. The book is about the siege of West Beirut by the Israeli army during the 1982 Lebanon War, with Dahl criticising Israel’s actions in Lebanon. However, much of the language Dahl used in his review was deeply harmful and antisemitic. With Dahl’s own book The Witches soon to hit the bookshelves, his publication teams in both the UK and the USA try their best to save face (and future book sales) by visiting him in his new home while it is in the midst of renovations. The two-hour-and-fifteen-minute screened performance takes place in real time. It is a high-tension kitchen drama that is as explosive as it is intense.

At the centre of it all is John Lithgow, who bears a striking resemblance to Dahl and gives a powerful performance. He is formidable, brash and loud, and to watch him unravel on stage was a masterclass in acting. Lithgow makes Dahl magnetic and monstrous in equal measure, and the recording allows us to look closely at the performers. We get multiple viewpoints, which is simply not possible in live theatre; we get to see every micro-expression you would miss in the dress circle. While nothing is the same as live theatre, in the name of making sure theatre can be for all, I am all for filmed performances alongside theatrical runs. Giant is a fantastic example of capturing a production at its best.

It is an uncomfortable watch, and rightfully so. Hytner’s direction keeps tension high. The main opposition comes from Jessie Stone (Aya Cash), a Jewish American publishing executive from the US publishing team whose aim is to get Dahl to retract his statement to the press. While the event was real and many of the characters were based on people in Dahl’s life at that time, Stone is mainly fictional. However, Stone offers complexity and leads to some explosive moments as Dahl spirals. The rest of the cast shines equally. Levey, as Tom Maschler, the publisher known for his legacy with the Booker Prize, offers another view. He himself is also Jewish and, while he doesn’t outwardly condemn Dahl, he is a Holocaust survivor and offers another perspective, opening up about the abuse he faced at school due to his Jewishness. Rachael Stirling plays Felicity, Dahl’s soon-to-be second wife; she tries, and often fails, to ground Dahl. The piece is supported by Hallie, Dahl’s New Zealand housekeeper, played by Tessa Bonham Jones. She usually arrives to break tension throughout the piece, but even then she cannot escape being in Dahl’s firing line. Finally, Richard Hope plays the groundskeeper, Wally Saunders.