Stephen Hawking is not only the most prominent scientist of a generation; he’s a visionary, a philosopher and an inspiration. The man, who was handed two years to live when diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease half a century ago, finally has a chance to tell his personal story: 'Hawking' hits cinemas this month.

Stephen HawkingStephen Hawking's life is set to unfold in the documentary, out this month

From his strange upbringing – both parents attended Oxford university but were living on a shoestring – to his scientific breakthroughs, his diagnosis, world record-breaking book and pop culture appearances, Hawking tells the story of the remarkable man and his remarkable life.

A large part of the documentary covers Hawking’s life with Jane Hawking – the woman that helped him through a serious bout of pneumonia in 1985, refusing to take him off life support. The pair divorced after 26 years of marriage, leading Jane to write her own book: ‘Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen’.

Watch Benedict Cumberbatch talk about Hawking

"We were under scrutiny when Stephen became rich and famous. The media were in the house and camera leads were absolutely everywhere – it was just nightmarish," Jane told The Independent recently. "I was expected to say, 'Isn't the way we live beautiful?', 'Aren't we lucky?', 'Look how well we've coped', when that wasn't the truth at all. It was a desperate struggle to survive day to day," she said.

The documentary also charts his presence in today’s pop culture. He’s appeared in sitcoms like The Big Bang Theory and the animation classic, The Simpsons. “Maintaining a sense of humour has been vital to my survival,” says Hawking in the trailer. Hawking - narrated by the man himself - is released in the UK on 20 September.

HawkingHawking's wondeful mind sculpted a scientific generation