A series of short films dramatizing the critical decisions made in the ten days leading up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
This collection of eight standalone vignettes chronicles the final countdown to the Iraq War. Each episode captures a different perspective on the escalating crisis. The stories range from the high-level diplomatic arguments of UN Ambassador Jeremy Greenstock (Tom Conti) and the legal anxieties of Foreign Office lawyer Elizabeth Wilmhurst (Juliet Stevenson), to the battlefield preparations of British officer Colonel Tim Collins (Kenneth Branagh). Other episodes focus on the moral dilemmas facing UK government figures, the experiences of ordinary Iraqi citizens caught in the impending conflict, and the last-minute maneuvers of military leaders like General Tim Cross (Stephen Rea).
The series’ power comes from its unique and rigid format. Broadcast on eight consecutive weekdays, these ten-minute plays created an urgent, real-time countdown to the invasion. Written by Ronan Bennett, the production functions as a piece of compressed political theatre, using a mosaic of viewpoints to anatomise the machinery of war. It juxtaposes the clinical language of diplomacy and military strategy with the human consequences for those on the ground. By eschewing a single overarching narrative, the serial presents a fractured, ground-level view of history being made, finding its drama in the friction between personal conscience and public duty. The casting of a formidable company of actors gives weight and authority to these tense, dialogue-driven moments.
Broadcast: BBC Two, 8 Episodes, 10 March – 19 March 2008
Written by: Ronan Bennett
Directors: David Belton, Bruce Goodison
Executive Producer: Colin Barr
Script Producer: Hilary Norrish
Music by: Daniel Pemberton
Main Cast: Kenneth Branagh (Colonel Tim Collins), Juliet Stevenson (Elizabeth Wilmhurst), Tom Conti (Jeremy Greenstock), Harriet Walter (Anne Campbell), Stephen Rea (General Tim Cross), Patrick Malahide (Adolfo Aguilar Zinser), Toby Jones, Art Malik, Adrian Rawlins, Alex Jennings
