Sky today confirms the commission of The Wargame, a landmark four-part series where constructed documentary meets propulsive drama, based on the award-winning Sky News podcast of the same name.
Produced by The Garden, part of ITV Studios, (Attack on London: Hunt for the 7/7 Bombers, 24 Hours in Police Custody), The Wargame takes viewers beyond the news cycle and behind closed doors into a sealed COBR-style crisis room where real-world senior politicians, military leaders and intelligence chiefs are challenged to confront a high-stakes scenario: a Russian attack on UK soil.
An impressive cross-party cast of highly experienced public figures must navigate this crisis, including Michael Gove, Nicola Sturgeon, Penny Mordaunt, Sayeeda Warsi, Harriet Harman, Jim Murphy, Ayesha Hazarika, General Sir Richard Barrons, Kim Darroch, Christopher Steele, Lord George Robertson and Anthony Scaramucci. Opposing them, a team of Russia experts, led by Keir Giles.
Set six months in the future, this gripping simulation has been developed in conjunction with leading academics, military and defence experts, including Sky News’ Security and Defence Editor Deborah Haynes, to replicate the pressure of political decision-making at the highest level.
Rolling news bulletins, social media footage, military and intelligence reports and unexpected interventions throw up a series of minute-by-minute dilemmas, forcing the ‘Cabinet’ to grapple with decisions that could affect us all. A provocative stress test on our leaders, our institutions and the country itself, this unmissable event television will prompt us all to engage with our new geopolitical reality.
The core cast of The Wargame, including their roles in the scenario, are as follows:
Leadership
Prime Minister – The Rt Hon. the Lord Gove PCDeputy Prime Minister – The Rt Hon. Nicola Sturgeon PCDefence Secretary – The Rt Hon. Dame Penny Mordaunt DBE PC Home Secretary – The Rt Hon. the Baroness Harman KC PCForeign Secretary – The Rt Hon. Jim Murphy PCAttorney General – The Rt Hon. the Baroness Warsi PCDirector of Communications – The Baroness Hazarika MBEChief of Defence Staff – General Sir Richard Barrons KCB CBENational Security Adviser – The Rt Hon. the Lord Kim Darroch KCMGIntelligence Chief – Christopher Steele