First Look At Channel 4’s Brian and Margaret

Next up in the world of political dramas – and reenactments of real political events – is Channel 4’s Brian and Margaret, based on former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s final television interview. Here’s what you need to know.

Steve Coogan as Brian Walden and Harriet Walter as Margaret Thatcher in Brian and Margaret. (Channel 4)

Channel 4’s Brian and Margaret: Plot, Cast, Release Date

Directed by Academy Award nominee and BAFTA-winning Stephen Frears and written by RTS award-winner James Graham, Brian and Margaret is an upcoming two-part political drama coming to Channel 4 later this year.

‘I’m beyond excited to be working with this incredible world-class team on a story brought to us by Rob Burley from his book Why Is This Lying B*stard Lying To Me. As we enter another election, and wrestle with the importance and effectiveness of the “political interview”, it’s a chance to bring to life the intimate and complicated relationship between Brian Walden and Margaret Thatcher – interrogator, and Prime Minister. An epic one of love and betrayal, and I think an audience will be surprised by a lot of it. I know I was.’

(L-R) Emma Sidi as Sue Richardson, Ross Armstrong as John Wakefield, Steve Coogan as Brian Walden and Karan Gill as Vinay Ahmed. (Channel 4)

What Will Happen?

It’s 1989, and an interview between two old friends is about to commence. Little do they know, it will go down as one of Britain’s most infamous political exchanges of all time. Brian Walden (Steve Coogan) is a much feared inquisitor, while the Prime Minister is the notorious Iron Lady. The 45-minute showdown raised a slew of national talking pointings, triggering a series of events that ended with Thatcher’s resignation. Afterwards, the duo never spoke again…

‘It’s great to be telling a story from the era of the sorely missed forensic interview – two giants of their time locking horns to determine the future of Britain,’ shares Steve Coogan. ‘To act opposite Harriet Walter with a script by James Graham directed by Stephen Frears is a challenge of the very best kind!’

Harriet Walter as Margaret Thatcher in Brain and Margaret. (Channel 4)

The Cast Of Brian and Margaret

So far, only a handful of stars have been announced:

• Harriet Walter as Margaret Thatcher
• Steve Coogan as Brian Walden
• Emma Sidi as Sue Richardson
• Ross Armstrong as John Wakefield
• Steve Coogan as Brian Walden
• Karan Gill as Vinay Ahmed

Walter is the latest in a slew of Hollywood heavyweights portraying the Iron Lady.

‘I have to travel a great distance to reach Maggie Thatcher but with James’s brilliant script, Stephen Frears to guide me and Steve Coogan to accompany me I have the dream team to help me achieve it,’ says Harriet Walter. In 2021, Gillian Anderson earned the Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Thatcher in Netflix’s The Crown, while Meryl Streep scooped an Oscar for her starring role in The Iron Lady (2011).

Steve Coogan as Brian Walden and Harriet Walter as Margaret Thatcher in Brian and Margaret. (Channel 4)

What Is It Based On?

Brian and Margaret is based on the book Why is This Lying Bastard Lying to Me: Searching for the Truth on Political TV by former BBC political editor and TV producer Rob Burley. Burley’s book, in turn, is based on Thatcher’s real final television interview, which took place in 1989.

Release Date

No news just yet on when Brian and Margaret will be released, but it will air first on Channel 4 and channel4.com.