It was Winston Churchill’s finest hour, as he galvanised Britain against the Nazi threat.
And for the actor playing him in a new film, the role was a challenge.

The 58-year-old Briton had to prove to himself he could give a convincing portrayal of the wartime leader before taking the part.

But can you spot his identity behind the cigar and beneath the make-up?

It is a total transformation for the film star, who has previously played a punk, an assassin, a spy chief and classic horror figure.

The Londoner has also performed on stage and TV, while his film work has earned him an Oscar nomination and two Bafta awards – one for a script he wrote.

He stars as Churchill in Darkest Hour, directed by Joe Wright.

The film is set in May and June 1940, when Churchill became prime minister after the resignation of Neville Chamberlain.

It relates how he gave the nation backbone for the fight against Hitler, telling his Cabinet and the Commons: ‘I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.’

By June, he was able to declare that the Allies would never surrender, pledging: ‘We shall fight them on the beaches.’

The film from Working Title and Universal Pictures , which is still in production and due in US cinemas from November 24, 2017,and in UK cinemas from December 29,2017, also stars Kristin Scott Thomas as Clementine Churchill, Ben Mendelsohn as King George VI, John Hurt as Chamberlain and Lily James as Churchill’s speech typist.