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Dame Harriet Walter embodies Margaret Thatcher for new Channel 4 drama

Steve Coogan plays journalist Brian Walden in the two-part series about his 1989 interview with the then-prime minister.

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Dame Harriet Walter plays Margaret Thatcher in a new Channel 4 drama

Dame Harriet Walter can be seen embodying Margaret Thatcher in first look images for a new Channel 4 drama.

Brian And Margaret tells the story of the 1989 TV interview between the then-prime minister and journalist Brian Walden, played by Steve Coogan, which became a national talking point and set in train a series of events that ended with her resignation the following year.

Dame Harriet, who is known for playing Lady Caroline Collingwood in Emmy-winning series Succession and Deborah in Ted Lasso, is pictured sitting opposite the Alan Partridge star.

Dame Harriet Walter
Steve Coogan as Brian Walden and Harriet Walter as Margaret Thatcher in the forthcoming drama (Channel 4/Matt Frost/PA)

The 74-year-old actress wears a navy blue ensemble and has perfectly coiffed hair, while Coogan, 58, is dressed in a dark coloured suit.

The pair sit on black chairs on a beige TV set, mimicking the one from the real interview.

In another image, Dame Harriet sits at a desk in front of a wall featuring the words “Strong and free”, alongside a poster that says “Vote for Margaret Thatcher”.

Dame Harriet Walter
Dame Harriet Walter stars in forthcoming TV drama Brian And Margaret (Channel 4/Matt Frost/PA)

The two hour-long episodes have been written by Dear England playwright James Graham and directed by Bafta-winning film-maker Stephen Frears.

The drama is based on a book by political editor and TV producer Rob Burley called Why Is This Lying Bastard Lying to Me?: Searching For The Truth On Political TV.

Another high-profile TV interview, between journalist Emily Maitlis and the Duke of York, was recently dramatised and made into a three-part series called A Very Royal Scandal, released to Prime Video last month.

– Brian And Margaret will be screened on Channel 4 next year.

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