An endearing outlier, Brian lives alone in a Welsh valley, inventing oddball contraptions that seldom work. After finding a discarded mannequin head, Brian gets an idea. Three days, a washing machine, and sundry spare parts later, he’s invented Charles, an artificially intelligent robot who learns English from a dictionary and proves a charming, cheeky companion. Before long, however, Charles also develops autonomy. Intrigued by the wider world — or whatever lies beyond the cottage where Brian has hidden him away — Charles craves adventure.
Directed by Jim Archer
inventor
mockumentary
robot
public humiliation
eccentric man
town bully
shared loneliness
science fiction
robot companion
shy guy
gadgets
evil neighbor
violent confrontation
Rank
#96 in 2022·#3221 overall
Trailer
IMDB
N/A
Letterboxd
3.5 / 5
Where to Watch
Cast
David Earl
Brian
Chris Hayward
Charles
Louise Brealey
Hazel
Jamie Michie
Eddie
Nina Sosanya
Pam
Lynn Hunter
Winnie
Mari Izzard
Suki
Sunil Patel
Phil
Rishi Nair
Stephen Alderton
Colin Bennett
Arthur
Vivienne Soan
Toffee Apple Woman
Nicholas Asbury
Stu
Crew
Chris Hayward
Writer
David Earl
Writer
Daniel Pemberton
Original Music Composer
Lauren Dark
Executive Producer
Damian Jones
Executive Producer
Ollie Madden
Executive Producer
Daniel Battsek
Executive Producer
Perry Costello
Special Effects Supervisor
Popular Reviews
103 reviews
Danny Kerr
8.0★ · 08/13/25
closest thing we’ll ever get to a live-action Wallace and Gromit
closest thing we’ll ever get to a live-action Wallace and Gromit
He
9.0★ · 07/29/25
Charles sounds like Stewie Griffin when he says “Brian”. Great movie.
Charles sounds like Stewie Griffin when he says “Brian”. Great movie.
beth oleary
8.0★ · 04/13/25
was gonna say it’s like lars and the real girl if it was set in Wales but film east beat me to it
was gonna say it’s like lars and the real girl if it was set in Wales but film east beat me to it