The Undeclared War

On the day that work experience student, Saara, joins GCHQ, The Russians launch a cyber attack on The UK.

Every so often Channel 4 releases a drama that makes you pause and think, a few years ago that happened with Blackout, the same happened here, a what if scenario that leaves you feeling a little unnerved, the idea that events could actually happen.

Well produced, well acted, it moves along nicely, it's a deep story with several stands, all of which tied together neatly. The variety is great too, episode three in particular is so unique.

I thought the acting in general was excellent, the standout for me had to be Mark Rylance, he wasn't in it a great deal, but he was outstanding. Nice to see Simon Pegg in a serious role, he did a good job. Adrian Lester felt underused.

There are a few flaws, Saara's on work experience, she has a very political boyfriend, and yet roams freely around GCHQ, as if she has top level clearance, that did feel a little too far fetched.

Overall, a truly interesting and thought provoking watch, bravo Channel 4, 8/10.

I thoroughly enjoyed this series, 8/10.

First of all, this series did not strike me as being particularly 'woke', nor did I witness any aspect of the series that remotely resembled 'leftist propaganda'. This is a show that depicts politicians and GCHQ staff who don't all happen to be male and white. Some are, some aren't. That's all. In fact, I would go so far as to say that the writers seem to have made a genuine effort to avoid political or ideological bias altogether. At its heart, it is very much a character-driven story that doesn't concern itself with hidden agendas.

Be that as it may, 'The Undeclared War' is a Mini-Series not without it's flaws. A few instances of below par acting and the occasional minor plot hole prevents it from making its ascension into the very top tier of television, but it ultimately succeeds in achieving what it intends to achieve - telling a story as nuanced as it is engaging, whilst borrowing just enough source material from the political reality we all know well to present itself as a compelling and thought-provoking warning call to us all.

Even in light of its flaws, 'The Undeclared War' most certainly achieves what it intends to achieve. It doesn't quite achieve what it promised to achieve, however. It doesn't work quite as hard as say, the BBC's 'Years & Years' did, to hook its audience with the type of emotional depth and innovative dynamism that leaves their tears destined to fall and their jaws destined to drop. Nevertheless, its carefully developed storyline, sharp dialogue, and explosive plot twists ensure that it still achieves just enough to merit a solid 7/10 rating.

I don't know who these types are that are calling this show 'Inaccurate'. They certainly don't work with software!

I'm just bowled over by the accuracy. The whole setup, and the tech, is completely believable and obviously researched. Simon Pegg's influence? (Probably not, he's not a producer on this.)

The physical metaphors with corridors and walls and doors are essential, and I'm quite enjoying them - laypeople have NO idea what it looks like going through dense code. Especially slogging through code that's written by somebody else, let alone an adversary. This visual storytelling mechanism greatly eases things.

Also the portrayals of high-functioning Autism are, finally, actually right on the money.

But I'm only two or three episodes in, and I fear it is going to dissolve into mush. None of the characters are very likeable, but perhaps that's deliberate. The mains all ooze upper-class UK elitism, and the lead character trots out her religion whenever it suits her.

We'll see.

The elephant in the room is that the subject matter of this series is very relevant and real. For those people who don't understand how the world works, this has probably flown over their collective heads. Yes, it's a drama series, but it's done very well. This is tight, clever, thought provoking writing. In today's ever changing world, it's refreshing to see something that takes chances and delivers. This definitely deserves your attention. Highly recommended.

This series divides opinion, but is well worth trying. The stop-start pacing with regular diversions to fill in blocks of background is a common gripe. In that sense if you liked Ozarks (we did) perhaps you will like the pacing, However, it all moves along quite nicely regardless.

Our main criticism would be a British Prime Minster who is completely unbelievable and GCHQ itself, which I imagine will have actual staff hopping about in frustration at the unflattering portrayal.

Not a classic, a bit wokey, but pretty good and very watchable if you find it works for you. Suggest ignore the somewhat dire comments of some and judge for yourself. You only need to watch one episode to weigh it up, which is pretty handy.