FORMER first minister Nicola Sturgeon will play the UK's deputy prime minister in a new Sky TV show, it has been announced.
The former SNP chief will appear in The Wargame alongside ex Tory MP Michael Gove, who is playing the role of prime minister in a fictional cross-party cabinet.
The politicians taking part will be playing themselves across the four-part series, in which they must navigate war with Russia.
The show, produced by The Garden as part of ITV Studios, is based on the Sky podcast of the same name and will take viewers into fictional Cobra-style meetings, following a fictional Russian attack on UK soil.
The programme will also feature former Conservative MP Dame Penny Mordaunt as defence secretary, Labour’s Baroness Harriet Harman as home secretary, and former Labour MP Jim Murphy as foreign secretary.
The cabinet will be completed by Tory Baroness Sayeeda Warsi as attorney general, director of communications Labour Baroness Ayesha Hazarika, retired British Army general Sir Richard Barrons as chief of defence staff, national security adviser, former diplomat Lord Kim Darroch, and former MI6 intelligence officer Christopher Steele as intelligence chief.
They will be opposed by a team of Russia experts, led by British writer Keir Giles.
There will also be international roles with Anthony Scaramucci playing the US secretary of state and Lord George Robertson (below, left) as Nato secretary general.
Phil Edgar-Jones, executive director of unscripted originals at Sky, said: “A year ago, Sky News’ ground-breaking original podcast The Wargame captivated listeners, shedding light on the impossible choices our country’s leaders face under escalating military threat.
“Now working with the talented team at The Garden we’re bringing The Wargame to new audiences in a visceral new TV format, which will challenge some of the most experienced political and military minds in the country to imagine how they might respond under threat of war.
“At a time when we are facing increasing threats from all sides, this series couldn’t be more timely.”
The Wargame will air on Sky and Now this September.
