Madfabulous Review: BFI Flare 2026

Quirky period drama Madfabulous pays tribute to a one of a kind aristocrat

In 1890s North Wales a most unusual young man steps off a boat to assume his ancestral destiny – and from the moment he disembarks wearing ten pounds of jewellery and one of mother’s flowing dresses, it becomes clear he’s going to do things in a very unusual way.

Callum Scott Howells (It’s A Sin) plays the real-life historical figure Henry Cyrill Paget; aristocrat, iconoclast and infamous party animal. After an adolescence living as a bohemian in Paris, he is called home in preparation of taking up his father’s title and responsibilities as the fifth Marquess of Anglesey. While the young Lord has a taste for the finer things in life; spending lavishly on clothing and furnishings and curating parties to die for, his complete lack of propriety and disinterest in social convention soon ruffles feathers amongst his stuffy, stiff upper lip family.

A lover of all things beautiful, Henry now has the good fortune to be ‘richer than god.’ The local merchants are more than happy to overlook their concerns about his behaviour to take his money, and he’s soon making a spectacle of himself with flamboyant photo shoots that make the national press. After sharing his dreams of becoming a dancer, Henry is soon set upon by a parasitic producer who convinces him to set up his own theatre company right there on the island. But after squandering over £200 million in just a few years, bringing his family estate to the brink of bankruptcy, the extended Paget family start plotting ways to separate the reckless young Lord from his seat.

Howells’ Henry is a dreamer, a quality that overarchingly controls his life for both the positive and the negative. He’s kind hearted, giving his time, money and goodwill to the outcasts of society. He doesn’t see or understand the need for class differences, winning the undying loyalty of his staff, including fatherly butler Gellert (a superb Rupert Everett.) He bucks against restrictive societal gender norms, finding a co-conspirator in rebellious cousin Lily (Ruby Stokes) – eventually marrying her to free them both from the expectations of their families.

But his head is so firmly in the clouds that it constantly leads Henry awry. He’s painfully self-centred, incapable of seeing the consequences of his actions until they are crashing down around him. Constantly pushing those who do care for him away in the name of chasing his hair brained dreams of fame and stage glory, it is ultimately not society that causes his downfall, but he himself.

The feature length debut from Welsh film maker Celyn Jones, Madfabulous is simply gorgeous to look at. Shot on location in Jones’ own North Wales hometown, it’s backdropped by lush rolling hills and crumbling castles. It’s suspiciously almost perpetually sunny – creating an aura of daydream for this figure who couldn’t quite face living in the grimness and greyness of reality. Special mention must also go to the sumptuous costumes and styling – this is among the most colourful period dramas you’re likely to see this side of a fantasy.

But from a storytelling point of view, it’s unfortunately paper thin. We learn that Henry loves beautiful things and desperately wants to impress his father – but outside of that there is very little insight into his motivations, his opinions, his thoughts or his experiences prior to arriving on Anglesey. While society screams of his debaucherous behaviour, very little if any of that makes it to the screen and that that does is far too pedestrian to be eye-opening. Madfabulous is an oddly chaste film, devoid of romance, lust, or really any sin besides gluttony.  Where its premise promised a wild ride, the end result is far too PG to be satisfying.

Howells leads admirably, with impressive physicality in a role that ultimately contains more tragedy than joy – but the story simply does not serve him well enough in what should have been an actually outrageous romp. Surprisingly muted in places and twee in others, Madfabulous is an enjoyable enough but ultimately underwhelming tribute to a true original.

Madfabulous was reviewed as part of BFI Flare Film Festival 2026. It will be released in UK cinemas in June