A five-part Sky project, This Sceptred Isle will weave together countless true stories surrounding the first wave of the global pandemic, as well as the responses of policy makers and frontline workers.
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Sir Kenneth Branagh to star in drama about Boris Johnson’s handling of pandemic
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Sir Kenneth Branagh given the Freedom of Belfast
Sir Kenneth Branagh will play Boris Johnson in a TV drama about the Prime Minister s handling of the coronavirus.
This Sceptred Isle, which was first announced last year and has now been commissioned by Sky, will be directed by Michael Winterbottom, who will also co-write, while Tim Shipman, the political editor of The Sunday Times, will act as a consultant.
Starting with his appointment as Prime Minister, the five-part drama will recount the first Covid-19 cases in the UK, through to Mr Johnson falling ill with the virus, and the arrival of his son.
Kenneth Branagh to Play U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson in Michael Winterbottom Drama for Sky
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Kenneth Branagh will play U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson in a new Sky TV series detailing Britain’s muddled response to the COVID-19 crisis. The five-part drama will be directed and written by “The Trip” helmer Michael Winterbottom.
Entitled “This Sceptred Isle,” the show will be produced by Fremantle, Richard Brown’s Passenger and Winterbottom’s Revolution Films. The project which was announced in June but had yet to secure a broadcast partner and announce casting will chart the events surrounding Johnson and his government in the face of the first wave of the global pandemic. The U.K. leader in late March was hospitalized with COVID-19 for over a week, with a number of days spent in intensive care.
Kenneth Branagh to Play Boris Johnson in Michael Winterbottom’s ‘This Sceptred Isle’
Limited series will depict the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.K.J. Clara Chan | January 23, 2021 @ 9:58 AM
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Kenneth Branagh has been tapped to play U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson in Michael Winterbottom’s “This Sceptred Isle.”
The five-part limited series will depict the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.K., Johnson’s handling of the crisis and the response of health care workers and scientists, as they battle the deadly virus.
The series, co-written by Winterbottom and Kieron Quirke, is based on first-hand testimony from hospitals and care homes in the U.K., Number 10 Downing Street, the Department of Health and The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies.