- Show Title: The Wargame
- Where to Watch: Airing on Sky One and streaming on NOW
- Air Dates & Times: Airs nightly at 9:00 PM from Monday 21 September to Thursday 24 September
- Episodes: 4 x 60-minute episodes, immediately followed by the live special The Wargame: Live on Thursday 24 September
- Format: Part constructed documentary, part propulsive drama set in a COBR-style crisis room
- Scenario: High-stakes simulated response to a Russian attack set six months in the future
- Production Company: The Garden (part of ITV Studios)
Sky TV’s The Wargame: Channel, Airing Times, and Streaming Options
For TV fans and political junkies looking to catch every second of Sky’s landmark new event television series, here is everything you need to know about how and where to watch The Wargame:
- Broadcast Channel: Sky One
- On-Demand & Live Streaming: NOW
- Start Date: Monday 21 September
- Airing Schedule: Airs nightly at 9:00 PM across four consecutive nights, concluding on Thursday 24 September
- Episode Format: 4 x 60-minute episodes
- Special Live Finale: The Wargame: Live (w/t), hosted by Cathy Newman in front of a studio audience, airs immediately following the fourth episode on Thursday 24 September.
- Catch-Up Podcast: The original seven-part Sky News podcast, The Wargame, is available to stream on all major audio platforms now.
What is The Wargame about?
In a landmark new series, The Wargame takes viewers into a realistic scenario and into the top-secret world of a COBR-style crisis room.
Part constructed documentary, part propulsive drama, real-world senior politicians, military leaders and intelligence from across the globe will come together into the room to take on a simulated national emergency.
Produced by The Garden, part of ITV Studios (Attack on London: Hunt for the 7/7 Bombers, 24 Hours in Police Custody), The Wargame takes viewers beyond the news cycle and behind closed doors into a sealed COBR-style crisis room where real-world senior politicians, military leaders and intelligence chiefs are challenged to confront a high-stakes scenario: a Russian attack on UK soil.
Set six months in the future, this gripping simulation has been developed in conjunction with leading academics, military and defence experts, including Sky News’ Security and Defence Editor Deborah Haynes, to replicate the pressure of political decision-making at the highest level.
Over the course of the series, those inside the war room will decide what to do next, and how to best navigate Britain through the disaster, with every decision potentially having long-term consequences.
The fictional Cabinet will be given news updates, social media footage, and intelligence reports as well as unexpected turns, giving them a new dilemma to deal with as if this was happening in real time. Rolling news bulletins, social media footage, military and intelligence reports and unexpected interventions throw up a series of minute-by-minute dilemmas, forcing the ‘Cabinet’ to grapple with decisions that could affect us all.
A provocative stress test on our leaders, our institutions and the country itself, this unmissable event television will prompt us all to engage with our new geopolitical reality.
The series is based on the award-winning Sky News podcast of the same name.
Who is in the Cast of The Wargame?
An impressive cross-party cast of highly experienced public figures must navigate this crisis. The core cast of The Wargame, including their roles in the scenario, are as follows:
Leadership
- Prime Minister – The Rt Hon. the Lord Gove PC
- Deputy Prime Minister – The Rt Hon. Nicola Sturgeon PC
- Defence Secretary – The Rt Hon. Dame Penny Mordaunt DBE PC
- Home Secretary – The Rt Hon. the Baroness Harman KC PC
- Foreign Secretary – The Rt Hon. Jim Murphy PC
- Attorney General – The Rt Hon. the Baroness Warsi PC
- Director of Communications – The Baroness Hazarika MBE
- Chief of Defence Staff – General Sir Richard Barrons KCB CBE
- National Security Adviser – The Rt Hon. the Lord Kim Darroch KCMG
- Intelligence Chief – Christopher Steele
International Roles
- Nato Secretary General – The Rt Hon. the Lord Robertson KT GCMG PC
- US Secretary of State – Anthony Scaramucci
Opposing them, a team of Russia experts, led by Keir Giles.
Official Statements from Sky and Production
Phil Edgar-Jones OBE, Executive Director, Unscripted Originals at Sky said: “A year ago, Sky News’ groundbreaking original podcast The Wargame captivated listeners, shedding light on the impossible choices our country’s leaders face under escalating military threat. Now working with the talented team at The Garden we’re bringing The Wargame to new audiences in a visceral new TV format, which will challenge some of the most experienced political and military minds in the country to imagine how they might respond under threat of war. At a time when we are facing increasing threats from all sides, this series couldn’t be more timely.”
Nicola Brown, Executive Producer, The Garden, said: “The news brings a near-constant stream of information about the threats we face as a country, but do we really know what would happen if the UK came under attack, or how prepared we really are? In a simulated crisis scenario, where actions can have world changing consequences, The Wargame will put viewers ‘in the room’ to see first-hand how decisions are made at the highest level. We’re thrilled to be working with Sky on this important series.”
Production Credits
The Wargame (4×60) has been commissioned by Phil Edgar-Jones, Executive Director, Unscripted Originals at Sky for Cécile Frot-Coutaz, Chief Advertising and Content Officer, Sky, CEO Sky Studios. The Head of Documentary Commissioning for Sky is Hayley Reynolds and the Commissioning Editor is Jo Hughes. Executive Producers for The Garden are Nicola Brown and Tom Fulford, the Series Director is Ben Harding, Series Producers are Ella Taylor and Zehra Yas, Senior Producer is Monika Ghosh and the Line Producer is Sasha Davies.
How Many Episodes of The Wargame Will There Be?
The Wargame will run for four hour-long episodes.
To mark the conclusion of the simulation, the final episode will be followed by a special live programme, The Wargame: Live (w/t), filmed in front of a studio audience and hosted by Cathy Newman. Members of the cast will join the discussion to reflect on the pressures of decision-making at the highest level and explore the wider questions raised from this thrilling documentary series.
The seven-part Sky News podcast, also called The Wargame, is also available now on all major services.
For a sneak peek inside the crisis room and to watch the simulation unfold, check out The Wargame Official Trailer.
This official trailer gives a first look at how the real-world political figures handle the simulated Russian attack inside the COBR-style crisis room.
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