Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Mark Rylance and Simon Pegg to star in new Channel 4 drama The Undeclared War

Mark Rylance (Yui Mok/PA)
Mark Rylance (Yui Mok/PA)

Channel 4 has commissioned new six-part drama The Undeclared War, which will star Mark Rylance, Simon Pegg and Adrian Lester.

The programme will be directed by Peter Kosminsky, who has also co-written its script.

Alex Jennings and Maisie Richardson-Sellers will also star in the programme.

Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood UK Premiere – London
Simon Pegg (Isabel Infantes/PA)

The Undeclared War is set post-pandemic in 2024 in the run-up to a general election in the UK.

It follows a team of analysts at GCHQ who are trying to ward off a cyber attack on the country’s electoral system.

Rylance will play a Cold War veteran brought back from retirement to work at GCHQ, while Pegg will play the security organisation’s head of operations.

Lester will play the UK’s first black Conservative prime minister.

US streaming service Peacock jointly commissioned the drama with Channel 4.

Al Pacino BFI Fellowship dinner – London
Peter Kosminsky (Ian West/PA)

Kosminsky said: “The series is based deep within the least-known arm of the UK’s intelligence infrastructure, GCHQ.

“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.”

Caroline Hollick, Channel 4’s head of drama, said: “Peter Kosminsky is a titan of British television drama, and it’s a privilege to have this ground-breaking thriller on Channel 4 – it’s a truly momentous series which will change the way we see the world around us.

“I’m also delighted to have such stellar names in the cast, as well as the chance to break brand new on-screen talent.”