Channel 4’s Partygate: who is in it, when is it on TV and is it based on fact or fiction?

The controversy surrounding the Conservative Party and their gathering while the rest of the United Kingdom was under lockdown rules during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic is set to be dramatised with Channel 4’s upcoming programme, ‘Partygate,’ airing tonight. 

The factual drama, featuring a guest appearance by Jon Culshaw as the voice of then Prime Minister Boris Johnson, will tell the inside story in dramatic re-enactments centring around two fictional Special Advisors; Grace Greenwood (Georgie Henley - ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’) and Annabel D’acre (Ophelia Lovibond - ‘W1A’).

The official synopsis from the broadcaster regarding the 85-minute one-off special reads: “Karaoke, suitcases of wine, ambushing cake... this factual drama tells the story of Covid from inside 10 Downing Street as staff kicked back at lockdown-breaching parties”

Produced by the creators behind BAFTA-winning dramas like ‘Killed by My Debt,’ ‘The Left Behind’ and ‘Murdered by My Father,’ this new drama, according to Channel 4, “will skillfully contrast the festivity within the nation's seat of authority with the challenges and selflessness prevailing throughout the rest of the country.”

Who is starring in ‘Partygate’?

Alongside Culshaw, ‘Partygate’ will star: 

• Phil Daniels
• Rebecca Humphries 
• Hugh Skinner 
• Charlotte Richie
• Craig Parkinson
• Tom Durant-Pritchard
• Anthony Calf
• Alice Lowe 
• Kimberly Nixon 
• Alice Orr-Ewing
• Naomi Battrick
• Edwin Flay

Will ‘Partygate’ be based on facts or take some poetic license?

Though the central two characters are fictitious, ‘Partygate’ will mainly be based on meticulous research of real events inside Downing Street, with re-enactments interwoven with news archive footage and documentary interviews throughout the programme.

When will ‘Partygate’ air on TV?

‘Partygate’ is scheduled for broadcast on Channel 4 tonight (October 3 2023) at 9.30 pm. It will also be available to watch on demand via Channel 4's online streaming platform, All 4.