Riveting new drama The Undeclared War, starring Hannah Khalique-Brown, Maisie Richardson-Sellers, Simon Pegg, Adrian Lester, Alex Jennings and Mark Rylance, begins on Channel 4 and All 4 tonight (30 June) at 9pm after filming in Bristol last year.
Created and directed by BAFTA award-winner Peter Kosminsky (Honour, Wolf Hall), The Undeclared War is a six part cyber-thriller set in 2024.
Bristol Film Office assisted Playground Television / Stonehenge Films with filming at several Bristol locations between May and August 2021.
Redcliffe Wharf in Central Bristol was dressed as an anti-capitalist encampment for scenes featuring unrest and stunts. Scenes featuring police and missiles being thrown by protesters were filmed in East Street, Bedminster.
With the likes of Simon Pegg, Adrian Lester and Mark Rylance attached and award-winning director Peter Kosminsky at the helm, The Undeclared War was a very high profile shoot which Bristol Film Office was closely involved with, supporting filming at times in the heart of Bristol. Filming for encampment scenes at Redcliffe Wharf and protest scenes on East Street involved between 150 to 200 crew and cast members at their busiest points. We were pleased to liaise with all the necessary city departments, not only to help the production source the right locations but also to help ensure filming days were well organised and smoothly run.
Laura Aviles, Senior Film Manager, Bristol City Council
The Cash Hall in Bristol City Hall provided the setting for the offices of a Russian internet agency, and filming also took place on residential streets including Mayfield Park North in Fishponds and Gratitude Road in Greenbank. Filming for The Undeclared War also took place in Wales.
The Bristol Film Office were incredibly supportive in helping us find and service a wide variety of locations in and around the area.
Producer Robert Jones
Set in 2024, The Undeclared War tracks a leading team of analysts buried in the heart of GCHQ, secretly working to ward off a series of cyber-attacks on the UK in the run up to a general election. When a routine stress test of internet infrastructure goes awry 21-year-old GCHQ intern Saara Parvin (played by Hannah Khalique-Brown) suddenly finds herself operating on the invisible frontier of high-stakes cyber warfare. The series is a result of meticulous research by BAFTA award-winning creator Peter Kosminsky, lifting the veil on the most urgent battle of our time.
In a thrilling cat and mouse game, Saara and the team at GCHQ must try to stay one step ahead and anticipate their opponents’ every hidden move. The clock is ticking as a battle with high stakes and unpredictable enemies takes place entirely online, with very real consequences. But how do you win a war most of the public don’t know you’re fighting?
The six-part drama also stars Simon Pegg as GCHQ Head of Operation Danny Patrick, Maisie Richardson-Sellers as American cyber-analyst Kathy Freeman, Adrian Lester as the UK’s first Black Conservative Prime Minister Andrew Makinde, Alex Jennings as Head of GCHQ David Neal, and Mark Rylance as elderly analyst and iconoclast John Yeabsley.
The Undeclared War is a Playground, Stonehenge Films and Universal International Studios co-production for Channel 4 and Peacock. It launches on Channel 4 and All 4 on 30th June at 9pm.