Kenneth Branagh, a man accustomed to playing the great characters of Shakespeare, is now playing a different type of tragic figure. Like Hamlet, Boris Johnson relished in the rhetoric of ambition and power, however, both had the tragic flaw of being unable to act when the time was right. This is the focus of the soon to be released Sky drama This England, which retraces those fateful days of the first lockdown and the government’s slow response and infamous mishandling.
Featuring the government figures made household names by the pandemic such as Dominic Cummings with his infamous drive to Barnard Castle and Rishi Sunak and his furlough scheme, the six-part drama takes us inside the black door of Downing Street and into the rooms in which decisions affecting millions were conceived – and many alcoholic drinks consumed.
The limelight that came with Johnson’s 2019 winter election landslide was quickly extinguished by the pandemic. Like his idol, this was Johnson’s Churchillian moment: to ride out the storm of war against the virus. However, Johnson’s conduct and decision-making during the national lockdowns and his premiership eventually proved to bring about his own downfall. The theme of tragedy is echoed through the show’s title, This England, a reference to Shakespeare’s Richard II.
“This royal throne of kings, this sceptred isle… this blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England”
The famous lines delivered by John of Gaunt are then followed with: “That England, that was wont to conquer others, hath made a shameful conquest of itself.” You do not need to look hard to understand the relevance of this verse to Johnson’s turbulent time in Downing Street. As one journalist said, Boris Johnson brought down three Prime Ministers: Cameron, May and himself.
In the trailer, Branagh, an eight-time Academy Award nominee, embodies Johnson’s physical and acoustic characteristics to the point where you wonder if it’s the actual man. This type of detail is reflected in the research that has gone into the show. Many hours have been spent interviewing the likes of Health Secretary Matt Hancock, front-line doctors, COVID-19 survivors and leading pandemic scientists. The series relives those menacing months- citizens locked inside and at the mercy of an ever-enlarging death toll, unable to see family or friends. Uncertainty and solitude growing behind every door on every street.
Part of the filming was done at a care home in Nottingham where staff and residents acted as themselves – real people reliving those chaotic events for the camera. The outcome is likely to be distressingly real and sad. The political drama will excite viewers; the realism of events will disturb them. Consequently, with the events of 2020 still fresh in people’s minds, many have questioned whether the show has come too soon.
Having climbed the infamous ‘red wall’ of Labour heartlands, Johnson’s downfall after three years in office has made him a focal point for public anger. Thus, with the return of Johnson to our screens, I expect that many can’t help but echo the sentiment of Don Corleone in The Godfather: “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!”
Seeing Johnson back on the screen gives you that twitch you get upon hearing your morning alarm. His name and appearance have become intertwined with the feelings felt by the nation during the pandemic. The show therefore may simply remind us of all the woes this nation has recently suffered. It may be entertaining television, but then you realise that this all actually happened: the chaos and indecision; the rule-breaking and deceit; and the loss of life. It is difficult to take joy from the fact that both COVID-19 and Johnson are now behind us since the whole episode has led to more questions being raised about British politics and accountability in government. Is this the new standard of leadership that we must now endure? Is this the best leader our nation can produce? Britons across the nation hope not.
The pandemic is still a very fresh issue. There has been little time to evaluate Johnson’s premiership since he left office only a few weeks ago. His successes with Ukraine and the vaccine rollout are overshadowed by bitter public resentment. The series, therefore, according to Branagh, “might allow people to process a little of what went on” without the fear that originally came with those dark days. The show provides a chance for us to consider how we will remember the first wave of COVID-19, the most unprecedented experience for the majority of the population. This is something the creator Michael Winterbottom understands first-hand, having lost his mother in 2020 due to a non-COVID-related illness, and being unable to visit her in hospital due to restrictions.
A damning death knell for Populism? A great challenge like the pandemic has certainly exposed the issue of electing leaders with a dubious past and poor track record. It is certainly alarming to think that Johnson was able to survive intensive care and yet come out partying in lockdown rather than empathising with the nation he led. The empathy that came with clapping the NHS has now been ripped apart by his conduct and has once again stoked the fire of disillusionment with politics last seen during the Brexit imbroglio. British politics has been left with the scruffy appearance that Johnson has often embodied.
With 75% of the population now fully vaccinated, COVID-19 no longer dominates the news and facemasks are no longer always on hand. While there are difficult months ahead with hospitals at capacity, patient backlogs, and economic struggles, is it really necessary to have all the frightful memories of the pandemic brought back? As with most things, the best way to move forward is to learn from our mistakes. Mistakes regarding whom we choose as our leader, how the government responds to crises, and how we hold our leaders to account when they are meant to lead by example. These are the ideas that will be studied through repeated analysis of past events like the pandemic. On the flip side, the show is a relieving reminder that the days of Johnson and the pandemic are now primarily behind us.
Johnson’s legacy will certainly be open for indefinite debate: rulebreaker and dilettante, or charismatic and calculated? The country now has a slight reprieve with Prime Minister Liz Truss. However, with an in-tray not seen since Thatcher’s election, public disillusionment with the entire system may remain high.
Like Hamlet, Johnson has certainly proved that “one may smile and be a villain”. The bumbling facade has disguised a man driven by vaulting ambition but also riddled with unconquerable hubris. With Johnson in the rear-view mirror, this series is a start at analysing his legacy. There will likely be many more television programmes and books charting Johnson’s turbulent premiership in the coming years, as there will be recalling many nations’ handling of the pandemic. For now, we can only wait for Branagh to step once more unto the screen.
This England, episode one, airs Wednesday 28th September 2022 on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV.
Image credits: Christian Lue via Unsplash