03 March 2016, The Tablet

We will fight them on the sickbed


 
For dramas based on fact, it is customary to include some statement about their historical accuracy. We learn that the story is true, that dialogue has been invented, that certain incidents have been reimagined, or that characters have been created for dramatic purposes. Churchill’s Secret (28 February) gave us no such guidance.The bare bones of the story are well known. Winston Churchill suffered a stroke in June 1953, while serving as Prime Minister, and his colleagues and family kept it quiet. But much of this feature-length drama must have been invented by screenwriter Stewart Harcourt or novelist Jonathan Smith, from whose book it was taken.There were three big roles. There comes a time when every male British actor is called upon to play a damaged tyrant beset by troublesome d
Get Instant Access

Continue Reading


Register for free to read this article in full


Subscribe for unlimited access

From just £30 quarterly

  Complete access to all Tablet website content including all premium content.
  The full weekly edition in print and digital including our 179 years archive.
  PDF version to view on iPad, iPhone or computer.

Already a subscriber? Login