Brian and Maggie is the must-see docudrama that’s scarily true to life
If you don’t remember the now infamous 1989 interview between journalist Brian Walden and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Harriet Walter is here to remind you of it. The 74-year-old actor is stepping into Thatcher’s shoes for a new Channel 4 drama and she’s doing a very convincing job of it (see the helmet-style hairdo and those mannerisms in the trailer if you don't believe us).
Starring alongside Steve Coogan as Walden (who, we might add, is equally convincing), the pair are bringing to life the dramatic 45-minute showdown that triggered the downfall of the Iron Lady. At the time, the interview became a national talking point and helped set in motion a series of events that ended with Thatcher’s resignation.
Several big name actors have played Thatcher previously, including Meryl Streep in 2011’s The Iron Lady, Lesley Manville in the 2009 docudrama The Queen, and Lindsay Duncan in the 2009 TV film Margaret. And while Walter has said she had “to travel a great distance to reach Maggie Thatcher," we think she’s absolutely nailed it!
Here's everything else you need to know about the new Channel 4 drama…
What is Brian and Maggie about?
Written by Sherwood’s James Graham, Brian and Maggie tells the story of Brian Walden, the ‘much feared inquisitor’ and journalist whose 1989 interview with then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher led to her demise. Walden was said to be Thatcher’s favourite interviewer, but after the interview, the pair never spoke again.
Graham has described the two-part drama as “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.”
What actually happened during the infamous interview?
Walden was best known for his tenacious interviews with politicians and he was considered Thatcher's preferred interviewer – that was until 29th October 1989. At the time of the interview, the Conservatives were in disarray. Chancellor Nigel Lawson had resigned on 26th October because Thatcher was unwilling to sack economics adviser Sir Alan Walters. His resignation meant that, despite the interview having been planned for some time, the entire content of it changed at the last minute.
Three million viewers tuned in and Walden asked what became known as the "killer question". Would Lawson have stayed had she sacked Walters? Thatcher admitted, “I don’t know” and Walden replied, “You never even thought to ask him that?” Walden’s probing questions saw Thatcher continually stumble and repeat the fateful words, "I don’t know." She also hit back at Walden, describing him as "domineering" after he accused her of being "authoritarian" and "refusing to listen to anybody else."
Who stars in Brian and Maggie?
Harriet Walter and Steve Coogan will be joined by the following cast members:
Emma Sidi (Ghosts)
James Fleet (The Vicar of Dibley)
Karan Gill (I May Destroy You)
Tom Mothersdale (Bodies)
Ivan Kaye (The Green Green Grass)
Simon Paisley Day (This England)
Paul Clayton (The Full Monty)
Marcia Lecky (Holby City)
How can I watch Brian and Maggie?
Brian and Maggie will air at 9pm on Channel 4 on Wednesday 29th January.
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