Steve Coogan has sparked controversy after revealing he cut a scene from an upcoming Channel 4 drama about Margaret Thatcher because it portrayed the former prime minister too sympathetically.
The actor, who stars in the two-part series Brian and Maggie, admitted to having “huge antipathy” towards Britain’s first female prime minister.
Speaking to Radio Times, Coogan said: “The one thing that I was worried about in this drama was being too compassionate because of her legacy.”
The Alan Partridge star confirmed that during editing, a scene was removed for being “a bit too kind”, explaining they “wanted to remind people that there was this damage”.
The drama, written by James Graham, focuses on Thatcher’s 1989 interview with Brian Walden for London Weekend Television.
Set to air on Channel 4 on January 29, the series stars Coogan as Walden, the former Labour MP turned television host, alongside Dame Harriet Walter as Thatcher.
Brian and Maggie: Steve Coogan stars in the Channel 4 drama
CHANNEL 4
The 45-minute showdown became a significant moment in British political history, setting in motion events that would lead to Thatcher’s resignation.
Based on political editor Rob Burley’s book Why is This Lying B****** Lying to Me?, the two-part drama was directed by Academy Award nominee Stephen Frears, known for A Very English Scandal and Philomena.
During the original interview, Walden famously asked Thatcher whether she was “off her trolley” as her own cabinet turned against her.
Coogan, 59, elaborated on his views of Thatcher, telling Radio Times that while she “had vision and zeal”, she “lacked empathy”.
The comedian suggested that today “she’d probably be diagnosed with some sort of disorder”.
He acknowledged that Thatcher was an outsider who didn’t come through the establishment in a traditional way, describing her lower middle-class background as something that fascinated him.
“Politics are discussed, but not the idea of class and the perspective that gives you,” Coogan said.
He added that class in politics remains problematic: “You either break out of your lower middle-class mediocrity and become like the establishment to succeed, or you languish in the margins.”
Thatcher served as Britain’s Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990, becoming the longest-serving British premier of the 20th century.
Her premiership was marked by significant economic reforms, including privatisation of state industries and confrontations with trade unions.
As the country’s first female prime minister, she earned the nickname “Iron Lady” after a Soviet newspaper criticised her anti-communist stance.
Donal Blaney, founder of the Margaret Thatcher Centre, criticised Coogan’s editing decision, saying: “If they have cut out scenes which paint Margaret Thatcher in any sort of favourable light, then it calls into question the whole legitimacy of this drama.”
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Margaret Thatcher served as prime minister from 1979 to 1990
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He added: “Margaret Thatcher will be remembered long after Steve Coogan.”
Dame Harriet Walter, who portrays Thatcher in the drama, revealed she met Coogan at Extinction Rebellion events before taking on the role.
The Succession actress said she only accepted the part because of the team involved, stating: “I thought, ‘I just wish it was about somebody else.'”
Walter was critical of Thatcher’s legacy as a role model for female politicians, describing it as “regrettable” and “not a very nice role model.”
The actress, who never met the former prime minister, suggested Thatcher would have “detested” her, noting: “In my youth, I went on demos and picket lines. Plus, my coming from a fairly privileged background. We would have had zero to talk about.”