A FORMER Pocklington School pupil's role in covering up a serious stroke suffered by Winston Churchill will be highlighted in a new film.

Lord Moran, who attended the school as Charles McMoran Wilson between 1894 and 1899, was Churchill's personal doctor, close friend and confidant throughout the Second World War and beyond.

The Churchill Secret, an ITV drama starring Bill Paterson as Lord Moran and Michael Gambon as the prime minster, previews at the Everyman Theatre, Leeds, on Monday (Feb 1).

Lord Moran treated Churchill in secret after he suffered a serious stroke in 1953, aged 78.

Had the event become public, it would have almost certainly forced him to resign as prime minister.

Lord Moran did not expect Churchill to survive the stroke, which was kept secret from his cabinet and – thanks to an agreement from the Press barons – the public.

He ordered bed rest for Churchill, which was largely ignored.

When his patient hauled himself back onto the public stage, Lord Moran prescribed various drugs, some containing stimulants like amphetamine, to keep him on top form.

The film is based on Jonathon Smith’s book, 'The Churchill Secret' and draws on Lord Moran’s own account, 'Churchill: The Struggle for Survival 1945-60'.

This latter book caused a storm when it was published shortly after Churchill’s death because of its medical detail.

Pocklington School head teacher Mark Ronan said: "We're very excited about the forthcoming film featuring this remarkable Old Pocklingtonian.

"The story of his rise from Yorkshire schoolboy to someone held in such high esteem by society reflects Pocklington School's tradition of truth and courage and is truly inspirational for current pupils.

“As Winston Churchill's private physician from 1940, he was at the side of that great man throughout many of the defining moments in this nation's recent history; Moran, in fact, saw it as his personal wartime duty to maintain Churchill's health.

"Contemporary accounts show he was a remarkable, brave and shrewd man, to whom Churchill is quoted as saying: "It is wonderful that you have kept me going for so long".

"He is an OP we are very proud of."

Lord Moran was born in Skipton and died in 1977, aged 94.

Serving as a medical officer in France during the First World War, he won the Military Cross in 1916 for services during the Battle of the Somme.

He wrote about the horrors of trench warfare in a lauded book, The Anatomy of Courage.

As Baron Moran in the House of Lords, he was involved in many of the debates leading up to the creation of the National Health Service in 1948.

A TV transmission date for the film has yet to be set.