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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Lucy Mangan

The Wargame review – Michael Gove is awful at pretending to be PM in this mind-warping reality show

Michael Gove Nicola Sturgeon Harriet Harman Jim Murphy Penny Mordaunt Russia Britain
Ministers and strategists sit around a table in a tense simulated crisis meeting
‘The real entertainment lies in seeing who works well on camera and who doesn’t.’ Photograph: Justin Downing/Sky

Trigger warning: this review contains the phrase “Michael Gove cosplaying as PM.” There is no helpline.

The Wargame is mind-warping. On the one hand, it posits an imminent nuclear strike on Britain by Russia. Bad! On the other, it posits this happening in a world in which the government is composed of Michael Gove cosplaying as prime minister, Nicola Sturgeon as his deputy, Harriet Harman as home secretary, Sayeeda Warsi as attorney general and Penny Mordaunt as defence secretary. So, you know, there’s a competing “Come, friendly bombs …” vibe too.

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