He was 23 before he became a star. Shy chubby and bespectacled, he was already losing his hair. Hardly a rock icon. In the course of a year he had adopted an outrageous stage persona and became a rock sensation. With over 200 million albums sold, including seven consecutive chart toppers, Sir Elton John is one of the most successful recording artists of all time. The journey from star to legend wasn't an easy one. Depression, bulimia, drug and alcohol addiction, failed relationships and explosive temper tantrums have often threatened to overwhelm him but somehow he has endured. So who is the real Elton John? How did he go from the 14 year old playing Jim Reeves songs in a Pinner pub to perhaps the performance of his life at the funeral of close friend Diana, Princess of Wales. This authoritative new documentary follows Elton's rocky road from troubled child and classical music student through to unpredictable drama queen and international treasure. Fans, critics and friends recall the songs, the scandals, the crises and the excesses that make up Elton John.