Boris Johnson parties with Tories and snuggles with Carrie in new trailer for Kenneth Branagh drama This England-Sabrina Barr-Entertainment – Metro

A new trailer has been released for Sir Kenneth Branagh’s upcoming drama about Boris Johnson, with the latest look teasing jubilation, commiseration and uncertainty in No 10 Downing Street.

The Sky Atlantic series This England, which was previously titled This Sceptred Isle, will follow the first few months of Johnson’s tenure as Prime Minister, leading up to the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent lockdowns.

With Ophelia Lovibond starring as the PM’s wife Carrie Johnson and Andrew Buchan playing former health secretary Matt Hancock, viewers have already been left in awe by the uncanny resemblance of the actors to their real-life counterparts.

In new footage from the show, the release date for which has finally been confirmed as Wednesday September 21, Johnson is seen appearing to celebrate the result of the Brexit referendum with other Tories, in a scene that some might think draws parallels with the recent ‘partygate’ which has plagued the Conservative Party.

Cabinet meetings and public engagements ensue, while the PM and his partner – who he married in May 2019 – enjoy a luxurious time together riding a boat and sharing a toast overlooking the sea.

While the couple might look as happy as can be – with the couple seen snuggling on a sofa one evening when Mrs Johnson is pregnant – the voiceover providing the backdrop of the trailer hints at the controversies that will be addressed in the series as it explores how the Conservative Party handled the pandemic.

The Tories celebrate (Picture: Sky Atlantic)

The actor has mastered the PM’s thumbs up (Picture: Sky Atlantic)

‘We need some good news,’ one person says, while another states: ‘I’m concerned about the lack of transparency.’

‘Our focus group shows that people will accept a lockdown if we support them financially,’ someone points out, while another warns that the ‘impact on the economy will be huge’.

At one point, Mrs Johnson appears to refer to the ‘bright ideas’ of former chief adviser to the PM Dominic Cummings, telling her partner: ‘You have to rein him in.’

The Johnsons now have two children together (Picture: Sky Atlantic)

The makeup team has done a stellar job (Picture: Sky Atlantic)

The show will also delve into the Tory leader’s own bout with Covid-19, after he was taken to intensive care in 2020 in the early days of the pandemic.

The trailer shows him being escorted out of Downing Street by medical professionals, using an oxygen mask in a car and while being pushed in a wheelchair in hospital.

He’s then seen going in for a scan, wearing a hospital gown while his arms are raised above his head, presumably so doctors can take a closer look at his lungs.

Current PM-hopeful Rishi Sunak is portrayed in the drama (Picture: Sky Atlantic)

The PM goes into hospital for care (Picture: Sky Atlantic)

The trailer ends on an ominous note, as Johnson stands by a window, shrouded in darkness except for the slivers of light shining through.

‘This blessed plot. This earth. This realm. This England,’ he says.

Co-written and directed by Michael Winterbottom, This England will transport viewers back to the first wave of the pandemic.

As well as dramatisations of behind-the-scenes moments in Downing Street, the drama will also tell the tales of people around the country as they dealt with the outbreak of the virus, including doctors, nurses and care home workers on the frontline.

This England is due to premiere on Wednesday September 21 on Sky Atlantic and NOW.

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