BBC thrills with political drama Official Secrets that leaves viewers ‘nothing short of enthralled’

There’s nothing like a sordid political drama, and over the years fans have been treated to the likes of All the President’s Men and The Post. But in 2019, Britain released its own thriller, Official Secrets, which has recently been added to BBC iPlayer; although it’s only available until the end of the month.

The drama was based on the scandal caused when whistleblower Katharine Gun, who worked at GCHQ, brought to public attention an illegal spying ring operated by the US and UK intelligence services that could potentially have blackmailed UN diplomats tasked with voting on a resolution on the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

The report was published by The Observer and led to Katharine being charged by the UK government under the Official Secrets Act. The case went to trial in 2004, although it collapsed after just 30 minutes.

The film’s synopsis reads: “One day in 2003, in the lead up to the Iraq War, British intelligence specialist Katharine Gun receives a memo from the NSA with a shocking directive: the United States is enlisting Britain’s help in collecting compromising information on U.N. Security Council members to blackmail them into voting in favour of an invasion of Iraq.

“Unable to stand by and watch the world be rushed into war, Gun makes the gut-wrenching decision to defy her government and leak the memo to the press.”

Who stars in Official Secrets?

Official Secrets had an incredibly A-list cast, most of whom were playing real-life characters in the show. Keira Knightley (Pirates of the Caribbean) led the drama as whistleblower Katharine Gun, while Matt Smith (Doctor Who) played Martin Bright, the journalist she leaked the story to.

Matthew Goode (Downton Abbey) plays the Observer’s foreign affairs editor and Rhys Ifans (Harry Potter) features as journalist Ed Vulliamy. Also featured in the cast are Adam Bakri (Omar), Indira Varma (The Night Manager), Ralph Fiennes (No Time to Die), Conleth Hill (Game of Thrones) and Tamsin Greig (Belgravia).

Joining the group are Hattie Morahan (Fool Me Once), Ray Panthaki (Gangs of London), Angus Wright (Bank of Dave), Chris Larkin (Outlander), Monica Dolan (Appropriate Adult), Jack Farthing (Poldark), Clive Francis (The Crown), Katherine Kelly (Gentleman Jack), John Heffernan (Dracula) and Kenneth Cranham (Maleficent).

Rounding out the cast are Darrell D’Silva (Out of the Blue), Janie Dee (Midsomer Murders), MyAnna Buring (The Twilight Saga), Chris Reilly (Slow Horses), Shaun Dooley (Grantchester), Peter Guinness (Sleepy Hollow), Hanako Footman (Defending the Guilty) and Jeremy Northam (The Tudors).

Reception

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A second added: “It’s a great yarn well told, Knightley is perfect as Katharine Gun, and it has a lot of very interesting old footage from the time which will have you shouting at the screen in frustration,” while a third commented: “Beautifully crafted production with great performances from the cast. It seems pointless regurgitating the plot because it is factual and well-known and, despite any real surprises, the director keeps the tension going.”

In a review for Empire, Ian Freer said: “Official Secrets is a timely, ambitious if broad take on a complex subject, but remains engaging and entertaining. anchored by Keira Knightley on great form.”