Hole in THE NET

ADRIAN LESTER on playing the PM in a tense cyber-thriller

- STEVEN PERKINS

ANDREW MAKINDE

ADRIAN LESTER

The composed politician, who became the UK's first black PM after a coup against Boris Johnson, faces a major test after a cyberattack threatens the country.

THE UNDECLARED WAR

THU, 9PM, C4 DRAMA

The nation is thrown into chaos by a devastating online attack in C4’s topical new cat-and-mouse thriller The Undeclared War.

Created by BAFTA-winning writer Peter Kosminsky (Wolf Hall), the six-parter, set in 2024, follows a team of cybersecurity experts at intelligence agency GCHQ as they try to neutralise a deliberately targeted virus that leaves over half of the country without internet access.

Meanwhile, Conservative Prime Minister Andrew Makinde (Adrian Lester) attempts to keep the public calm while privately planning to retaliate – but will his actions cause further harm?

Here, in an exclusive interview, Adrian, 53, tells TV Times about the challenges of playing a PM…

How do you view Andrew?

I don’t think power matters to him. He’s there to do a job, and that job is to lead the country with the values that he holds dear – values that he has learnt in his own personal life.

He steps into that position because he believes he’s the right person for the job at this time, and he can restore faith where the previous leader lost it.

What’s the significance of Andrew being the UK’s first black PM within the context of the show?

It’s meaningful for Andrew – or at least, for his press team, because they lean on that quite a bit. They believe that’s the direction the party should be pulling in; it’s a chess game.