A man who sits quietly at the back of the tour bus buried in a book about Haile Selassie and takes his cancer diagnosis, when it comes, with incredible calm. Who comes face to face with his would-be killer from the first act, and offers wizened, sagely forgiveness. And who sits by the fire playing Redemption Song to his beloved kids.
Speaking of kids, his complex relationship with his wife Rita – they had, officially, 11 children, many of whom were conceived with different partners, but raised by the couple – is only briefly alluded to during an argument in which Rita (played brilliantly by Lashana Lynch) wallops him. The only sign of Bob’s own violent side comes when he beats his manager for siphoning off dodgy money, and even then it’s because such behaviour runs counter to the higher purpose, rather than because he’s checked his bank balance.
