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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Michael Hogan

From The West Wing to Blackadder: the best fictional prime ministers on TV

Stephen Fry Jane Horrocks Emma Thompson Rory Kinnear Baldrick David Hare Rik Mayall Suranne Jones Abigail Dalton Adeel Akhtar
Emma Thompson stands at a podium before a crowd waving Union Jack flags and holding signs
‘Think Marine Le Pen meets Katie Hopkins’ … Emma Thompson in Years and Years. Photograph: Album/Alamy

As the UK gets ready to have its seventh prime minister in 10 years, how long before a revolving door is installed at 10 Downing Street? As social media wags have pointed out, this is likely the first time in history that the UK has been looking for a new prime minister, James Bond and Time Lord at the same time.

With the tribute film Rik Mayall: Magnificent B’stard airing this week (Thursday at 9pm on Sky Documentaries) and Steven Moffat’s drama Number 10 coming soon to Channel 4, it’s time to conduct a poll on TV’s best fictional British PMs.

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