Harriet Walter is Margaret Thatcher in upcoming Channel 4 two-parter Brian and Maggie.
Trailer can be viewed above of the buzzy series from James Graham and Stephen Frears.
Starring the Succession alum opposite Steve Coogan, Brian and Maggie (previously Brian and Margaret) tells the story of when interviewer Brian Walden and the Iron Lady came together for her last ever TV interview. Little did they know they were about to embark on one of the most famous political exchanges of all time. The 45-minute showdown became a national talking point and helped set in train a series of events that ended with Thatcher’s resignation.
With shades of Frost/Nixon, the show will launch soon and comes from Coogan’s Baby Cow Productions. It was the first drama commissioned by Ollie Madden, Channel 4’s new head of drama and film.
The series will “ask whether the slow death of full-length political TV interviews puts modern democracy at risk,” according to Channel 4. In a similar vein to Netflix’s Scoop about the notorious Prince Andrew interview, it is based on two chapters from a book – Why Is This Lying Bastard Lying to Me by ex-BBC producer Rob Burley.
Brian and Maggie is a 2×60” drama from Baby Cow one of BBC Studios’ owned production labels, and has been commissioned for Channel 4 by Madden, Director of Film 4 and Head of Channel 4 Drama alongside Danyele Seignoret, Drama Development Executive. Executive producers are Sarah Monteith (The Ballad of Wallis Island, Changing Ends, Chivalry), Delyth Scudamore (Toxic Town, A Very British Scandal), Rupert Majendie (The Ballad of Wallis Island, Brian and Charles). Dan Winch (Black Mirror, Quiz, A Very English Scandal) is the producer. BBC Studios is the international distributor of the series.
