Steve Coogan to recreate famous TV interview in Margaret Thatcher biopic
The man behind Alan Partridge is set to go back to 1989 and star as the astute Brian Walden in the upcoming Channel 4, with Dame Harriet Walter as the Iron Lady
Margaret Thatcher faces Brian Walden in a Channel 4 recreation of one of TV’s most famous political showdowns.
Alan Partridge star Steve Coogan and Succession’s Dame Harriet Walter take the lead roles as they portray the pair squaring up on ITV in October 1989, just after the resignation of Tory Chancellor Nigel Lawson. Former Labour MP Brian grilled Prime Minister Thatcher on the Conservatives losing trust in their leader.
And just over a year later, she resigned after 11 years in No.10. For the scene in Brian and Margaret, Dame Harriet, 74, and Steve, 58, sit on black chairs on a beige TV set. Steve said: “It’s great to be telling a story from the era of the forensic interview – two giants of their time.”
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The drama, written by Dear England playwright James Graham, will be aired next year. It follows 2008’s Frost/Nixon and this year’s A Very Royal Scandal in recreating high-profile TV interviews.
In July, it was also announced that Coogan will play Mick McCarthy in a new film portraying the infamous bust-up between the then Republic of Ireland manager and Roy Keane ahead of the 2002 World Cup. The film titled Saipan , which is scheduled for release next summer, takes the name of the Pacific island where the squad were preparing for the tournament hosted by Japan and South Korea.
During tournament preparations, Keane departed the camp after a public falling out with McCarthy, who said he sent the defensive midfielder home because of his "disruptive influence". The pair were involved in a verbal altercation after Keane had given an interview to a newspaper bemoaning the preparation and facilities laid on by the Football Association of Ireland.
Keane had already been convinced to reconsider a decision to quit the squad, only for the fall out to push circumstances to the edge. The film will depict the events leading up to the bust-up between the pair - and Keane's departure.
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