A critically acclaimed period drama directed by and starring Ralph Fiennes is available on BBC iPlayer – but not for much longer.

A historical figure is the central focus of The Invisible Woman (2013), which takes place in the latter half of the 1800s.

Based on the 1990 book of the same name, it tells the story of the secret 13-year love affair between Charles Dickens and Nelly Ternan, a young actress.

Nelly, later married and a teacher, is haunted by her past relationship with Dickens, which is revealed through flashbacks.

The film explores Dickens’s emotional state, the social constraints of the affair, and Nelly’s life after the relationship ended. Through Nelly’s perspective, the film reveals the challenges of living in the shadow of a famous man while balancing love, identity, and the cost of secrecy.

When talking about starring in and directing the film – Fiennes admitted he was not very familiar with the classic author Charles Dickens. He told Vulture: “I was ignorant. I had only read Little Dorrit. I knew his obvious ones – Nicholas Nickleby, Oliver Twist, Great Expectations – through adaptations. And Christmas Carol. I didn’t know much about the man.”

Even so, he managed to understand the character so well that most of the positive reviews about the film mentioned the performances, particularly Fiennes and Jones.

On reviewing platform Rotten Tomatoes, where it received an overall positive rating of 76%, fans echoed the praise.

“This is everything a period drama almost never is: underplayed, witty, poignant and, above all, real”, wrote one critic. Another reviewer simply put: “Beautiful to watch. Acting perfect. Based on truth”.

“This is a slow and emotional watch, ideal for fans of period drama. I found it quite engrossing and intriguing to get to know Dickens’ love interest at the time its set”, pondered another commenter.

“The cast do well giving good performances and the dialogue was quite thoughtful at times, although at other times it’s more a case of what isn’t said, than what is. And indeed I enjoyed the dialogue-free scenes as they had an almost dream-like quality to them and allowed the viewer to contemplate what the characters on screen may be thinking”.

At the time of its release, as well as earning positive reviews, The Invisible Woman was a box office success – earning £2,380,130.78 worldwide.

The Invisible Woman (2013) is leaving BBC iPlayer on June 7.