The tale of the pivotal exchanges between Brian Walden and Margaret Thatcher stars Steve Coogan and Harriet Walter.
The lead up to and impact of major interviews are often remarkable stories worth telling in their own right. Recently, we’ve seen two versions of the fateful Newsnight Emily Maitlis/Prince Andrew clash.
Now, Channel 4 bring us a clash of the political titans. Based on the wonderfully titled book Why is This Lying Bastard Lying to Me?: Searching for the Truth on Political TV by political editor and TV producer, Rob Burley, Brian and Maggie (previously known as Brian and Margaret) explores the relationship between the Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and London Weekend Television’s top political interviewer Brian Walden.
In the show, Steve Coogan plays Brian Walden, while Harriet Walter is Margaret Thatcher. The drama has been created and written by James Graham, and directed by Stephen Frears.
Here’s the synopsis for Brian and Maggie:
- When Brian Walden and Margaret Thatcher came together for their last ever TV interview, little did they know they were about to embark on one of the most famous political exchanges of all time. The 45-minute showdown became a national talking point and helped set in train a series of events that ended with Margaret’s resignation. Afterwards, they never spoke again…
-
James Graham explained how he got involved to Channel 4 and why he was attracted to the project:
Steve Coogan emailed me! Which was always a thrilling thing, I’ve admired his work for so long. We’d met once or twice and shared a love of strange pockets of post-war British history. And Steve thought maybe I’d be interested in taking a look at this particular nugget.
I hadn’t come across this interview before (to my shame, as a politics and history nerd!). But I’ve long been angst-ing about the health of political conversation and national discourse. I did a play called Best of Enemies a couple years back, on the origins of ‘combative’ TV debates in America in the 1960s. Margaret Thatcher looms large in my psyche too, coming from a post-industrial town where her legacy has been constantly interrogated.
He also talked about the challenges of taking the project on:
As ever with historical dramas, it’s how you make the inevitable not seem inevitable. To remember and remind an audience that had certain human beings made different choices, then history may have been a little different… Also how you make an interview that features the European Exchange Rate Mechanism and monetarism sound like a symphony. Which – thanks to Brian and Maggie – it is. I find their exchange mesmeric – because of what they’re “doing” to one another, underneath the words.
Brian and Maggie premieres on Channel 4 on at 9pm on Wednesday 29th January. Part two airs on Thursday 30th January at the same time.