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Elaborate set built at Redcliffe Wharf is for new Channel 4 drama The Undeclared War
Bristol24/7 can exclusively reveal that the elaborate set being built in Redcliffe Wharf is for The Undeclared War, a major new drama series being made for Channel 4.
The Undeclared War is being produced by the team behind Wolf Hall and stars Simon Pegg and Mark Rylance.
The six-part series written and directed by seven-time BAFTA winner Peter Kosminsky is set in 2024 amid a general election involving the UK’s first Black Conservative prime minister, played by Adrian Lester.
is needed now More than ever
It follows workers from Cheltenham-based GCHQ, the government’s intelligence and cyber agency, as they attempt to ward off a cyber-attack looking to influence the result of the election.
Pegg plays Danny Patrick, GCHQ’s head of operations, while Rylance is John Yeabsley, brought back to GCHQ to support his former colleagues.
A collection of colourful shipping containers, tents and flags currently occupy Redcliffe Wharf, with lighting rigs set up above the set at the car park on Redcliffe Parade.
Slogans painted include ‘BLM’, ‘No cops’ and ‘This space is now property of the Bristolian people’, indicating that Bristol is not doubling up for another city.
A stage has been built and Agnes Spencer’s street food stall can also be seen, but it is unclear whether this is to feed the crew or is part of the set.
‘This space is now property of the Bristolian people’ reads one banner on set – photo: Martin Booth
Deadline reports that Kosminsky researched The Undeclared War for three years, gaining access to intelligence experts in both the UK and US.
“The story we’re now able to tell casts an extraordinary, revelatory light on the hot, undeclared war taking place right now in the world’s newest and most invisible domain of conflict, cyber,” said Kosminsky.
The series is being co-produced by Emmy-winning producer Colin Callender’s Playground, alongside NBCUniversal International Studios.
Callender added: “The Undeclared War is a stunning cautionary tale that brings to life a world never seen before on television or in film.”
Main photo & video: Martin Booth
Read more: Four major dramas begin filming in Bristol
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