This is a Must Watch.  But I don’t want to say why.  In part because the “why” is on so many levels – the words, the performance, the sense of history and more.  But also, the less you know beforehand, the more it builds-up, the more the surprise of it all is impactful.

A couple nights ago, Ian McKellan was a guest on Stephen Colbert's show.  This is the full, extended interview including material that didn’t get on television.  The whole thing is fun, but that's not the “Must Watch” part.

The “Must Watch” part starts at the 20-minute mark.  But actually, jump before that to the 19-minute mark.  McKellan tells something for a minute that didn’t make the broadcast, but it’s wonderful, with a payoff that gets an explosion from the audience. 

The “Must Watch” part starts immediately following.

Some may have seen brief clips of it -- Katy Tur showed about 30-seconds near the end which didn't do this justice.  Not just because it's only a small part of...well, let's just say "the ending," and because it left out the audience cheering at the end, but also it's the story and history behind it all that adds to its impact.

I wish I had just the section in question to post, so you don't have to jump to the 19-minute mark.  But that's what was posted.  

As I said, the whole segment is wonderful -- the words, the performance, the story, the sense of history.  But what it leads to and says is remarkable.

Not to build this up too much, of course...

But I think it can hold up to anticipation.