''Churchill's Secret'' is a British drama television film first broadcast on ITV1 on 28 February 2016. The screenplay was written by

Stewart Harcourt Stewart may refer to: People *Stewart (name), Scottish surname and given name *Clan Stewart, a Scottish clan *Clan Stewart of Appin, a Scottish clan Places Canada *Stewart, British Columbia *Stewart Township, Nipissing District, Ontario (histo ...

based on the book ''The Churchill Secret: KBO'' by Jonathan Smith. It stars

Michael Gambon Sir Michael John Gambon (; 19 October 1940 – 27 September 2023) was an Irish-English actor. Gambon started his acting career with Laurence Olivier as one of the original members of the Royal National Theatre. Over his six-decade-long career ...

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...

and

Romola Garai Romola Sadie Garai ( ; born 6 August 1982) is a Hong Kong-born British actress and film director. Known for her extensive work on stage and screen, she often acts in period films. Her early film roles include '' Nicholas Nickleby'' (2002), '' ...

as Millie Appleyard, his nurse. Production was supported by

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

, which screened the film as part of its ''Masterpiece'' anthology.

Plot

In summer 1953, some eighteen months after Churchill has become

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister Advice (constitutional law), advises the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, sovereign on the exercise of much of the Royal prerogative ...

for a second time, he suffers a serious

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

. Although his illness is kept as secret as possible, when it is unclear whether he will recover, his political friends and foes begin to plot who will be his successor. His wife takes him to their country home, where he is nursed back to health by Nurse Millie Appleyard.

Cast

Clementine Churchill Clementine Ogilvy Spencer-Churchill, Baroness Spencer-Churchill, (; 1 April 1885 – 12 December 1977) was the wife of Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and a life peer in her own right. While she was legally the da ...

Lindsay Duncan Lindsay Vere Duncan (born 7 November 1950) is a Scottish actress. She is the recipient of three BAFTA nominations and one Scottish BAFTA nomination, as well as two Olivier Awards and a Tony Award for her work on stage. She has starred in sever ...

*Millie Appleyard -

Charles Wilson, 1st Baron Moran Charles McMoran Wilson, 1st Baron Moran, MC, PRCP (10 November 1882 – 12 April 1977) was personal doctor to Winston Churchill from 1940 until the latter's death in 1965. His book ''The Struggle for Survival'' revealed much about Churchill's ...

- Bill Paterson *

Diana Churchill Diana Spencer Churchill (11 July 1909 – 20 October 1963) was the eldest daughter of British statesman Winston Churchill and Clementine Churchill. Personal life Diana Churchill was born at 33 Eccleston Square, London, on 11 July 190 ...

Tara Fitzgerald Tara Anne Cassandra Fitzgerald (born 1967)is an English actress who has appeared in feature films, television, radio and the stage. She won the New York Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play in 1995 as Ophelia in ''Hamlet' ...

* Sarah Churchill -

Rachael Stirling Rachael Atlanta Stirling (born 30 May 1977). is an English stage, film and television actress. She has been nominated twice for the Laurence Olivier Award for her stage work. She played Nancy Astley in the BBC drama '' Tipping the Velvet'', and ...

Jock Colville Sir John Rupert Colville, CB, CVO (28 January 1915 – 19 November 1987) was a British civil servant. He is best known for his diaries, which provide an intimate view of number 10 Downing Street during the wartime Premiership of Winston Church ...

- Patrick Kennedy *

Christopher Soames Arthur Christopher John Soames, Baron Soames, (12 October 1920 – 16 September 1987) was a British Conservative politician who served as a European Commissioner and the last Governor of Southern Rhodesia. He was previously Member of Parli ...

Christian McKay Christian Stuart McKay (born 30 December 1973) is an English stage and screen actor. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Orson Welles in the 2008 film '' Me and Orson Welles'', for which he was nominated for over two dozen awards includ ...

Rab Butler Richard Austen Butler, Baron Butler of Saffron Walden (9 December 1902 – 8 March 1982), also known as R. A. Butler and familiarly known from his initials as Rab, was a prominent British Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party politici ...

Chris Larkin Christopher Larkin Stephens (born 19 June 1967) is an English actor. Early life Born Christopher Stephens on 19 June 1967 at Middlesex Hospital in London, Larkin is the elder son of actors Dame Maggie Smith and Sir Robert Stephens. His you ...

Mary Soames Mary Soames, Baroness Soames (; 15 September 1922 31 May 2014) was an English author. The youngest of the five children of Winston Churchill and his wife, Clementine, she worked for public organisations including the Red Cross and the Women's ...

Daisy Lewis Daisy Leonora Frances Lewis (born 31 December 1984) is a British actress, writer, director and producer from London. Early life Lewis was born in London and grew up in Dorset. She attended Port Regis School in Shaftesbury, followed by DLD Col ...

Max Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook William Maxwell Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook (25 May 1879 – 9 June 1964), was a Canadian-British newspaper publisher and backstage politician who was an influential figure in British media and politics of the first half of the 20th century ...

- Matthew Marsh *

William Berry, 1st Viscount Camrose William Ewart Berry, 1st Viscount Camrose, DL (23 June 1879 – 15 June 1954) was a British peer and newspaper publisher. Life and career Berry was born in Merthyr Tydfil in Wales, the second of three sons of Mary Ann (Rowe) and John Mathias Be ...

John Standing Sir John Ronald Leon, 4th Baronet (born 16 August 1934), known professionally as John Standing, is an English actor. Early life Standing was born in London, the son of Kay Hammond (née Dorothy Katherine Standing), an actress, and Sir Ronal ...

Brendan Bracken Brendan Rendall Bracken, 1st Viscount Bracken (15 February 1901 – 8 August 1958), was an Irish-born businessman, politician and a Minister of Information and First Lord of the Admiralty in Winston Churchill's War Cabinet. He is best remembe ...

James Wilby James Jonathon Wilby (born 20 February 1958) is an English actor. Early life and education Wilby was born in Rangoon, Burma to a corporate executive father. He was educated at Terrington Hall and Sedbergh School, studied for a degree in M ...

Anthony Eden Robert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon (12 June 1897 – 14 January 1977) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1955 until his resignation in 1957. Achi ...

Alex Jennings Alex Michael Jennings (born 10 May 1957) is an English actor of the stage and screen who has worked extensively with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre. For his work on the London stage, Jennings has received three O ...

Randolph Churchill Major (rank), Major Randolph Frederick Edward Spencer Churchill (28 May 1911 – 6 June 1968) was an English journalist, writer and politician. The only son of future List of British Prime Ministers, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill a ...

Matthew Macfadyen David Matthew Macfadyen (; born 17 October 1974) is an English actor. Known for his performances on stage and screen, he Breakthrough role, gained prominence for his role as Mr. Darcy in Joe Wright's ''Pride & Prejudice (2005 film), Pride & Prej ...

*Rosie Hopper -

Matilda Sturridge Matilda Alyson Faith Rosenblatt (née Sturridge) is an English actress. Early life One of three siblings, including Tom Sturridge, she is the only daughter of film director Charles Sturridge and actress Phoebe Nicholls. She attended Harro ...

Alcide De Gasperi Alcide Amedeo Francesco De Gasperi (; 3 April 1881 – 19 August 1954) was an Italian politician and statesman who founded the Christian Democracy party and served as prime minister of Italy in eight successive coalition governments from 1945 t ...

- Peter Brown *Sgt Murray -

Ian Mercer Ian Cameron Mercer (born 10 July 1961) is an English actor. He is known for playing Gary Mallett in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' from 1995 to 2000, having previously appeared in 1987 as Pete Jackson. His other television credits i ...

Production

Gambon's casting was announced in May 2015. In June, it was announced that the actress

had taken the role of Millie Appleyard. Filming took place at

West London Film Studios West London Film Studios (WLFS) is a British film studio and television studio complex located in Hayes, London. The studios cater to small and large productions; for films, television shows, TV adverts and photo shoots. History Frank Khalid ...

for various interior shots.

References

External links

* Films about Winston Churchill 2016 British television series debuts 2016 television films 2016 films British television films 2010s English-language films Films directed by Charles Sturridge {{UK-tv-film-stub