THE UNDECLARED WAR: CHANNEL 4 CO-COMMISSION NEW DRAMA

Channel 4 and Peacock today announce the commission of THE UNDECLARED WAR, a timely and provocative six part cyber thriller, directed and co-written by seven-time BAFTA-winner Peter Kosminsky (Wolf Hall, The Government Inspector).

Set in a post-pandemic 2024 in the run up to a British general election, THE UNDECLARED WAR tracks a leading team of analysts buried in the heart of GCHQ (the UK’s version of the NSA) secretly working to ward off a cyber-attack on the country’s electoral system. During a three-year research process, Kosminsky and his team gained access to the cyber security industry on both sides of the Atlantic, allowing a realistic picture of the threat faced by the Western world to be depicted in the drama.

Exciting newcomer Hannah Khalique-Brown will play Saara Parvan, a young student doing work experience in the GCHQ Malware Department, with Simon Pegg (Star Trek, Mission Impossible) playing Danny Patrick, GCHQ’s Head of Operations, Academy Award-winner© Mark Rylance (Wolf Hall, Bridge of Spies) playing John Yeabsley, a Cold War veteran brought back from retirement by GCHQ to combat the heightened threat level, and Adrian Lester (Riviera, Mary Queen of Scots) will play Andrew Makinde, the UK’s first Black Conservative Prime Minister.

Exec Producer, Kosminsky, says; “The series is based deep within the least-known arm of the UK’s intelligence infrastructure, GCHQ. The story we’re now able to tell casts an extraordinary, revelatory light on the hot, undeclared war taking place right now in the world’s newest and most invisible domain of conflict – cyber.”

Caroline Hollick, Head of Channel 4 Drama says; “Peter Kosminsky is a titan of British television drama, and it’s a privilege to have this ground-breaking thriller on Channel 4 – it’s a truly momentous series which will change the way we see the world around us. I’m also delighted to have such stellar names in the cast, as well as the chance to break brand-new on-screen talent”.