Steve Coogan to follow in Peter Seller’s footsteps in Armando Iannucci's stage version of Dr Strangelove

A mini ‘The Day Today’ reunion is on the cards in 2024, with the announcement that Steve Coogan will take up the celebrated role played by Peter Sellers in a stage adaptation of Stanley Kubrick’s 1964 satire ‘Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.’

The stage adaptation brings Steve Coogan and ‘The Thick Of It’ and ‘Veep’ creator Armando Ianucci together once again, a working relationship that stems back to when their pair made their breakthrough in British comedy with the ensemble work on BBC’s ‘On The Hour,’ which later became the TV series ‘The Day Today.’ The pair also worked together on a number of spin-offs of Coogan’s beloved, if not somewhat aloof character Alan Partridge.

Speaking to The Guardian,  Iannucci said that Dr Strangelove remains “a tale of our time” and “needs one of the most amazing talents of our time to tell it: I’ve seen Steve Coogan close-up for many years now, and can tell you that no one gets right under the skin of a character the way he does.”

Much like Sellers did in the 1964 original, Coogan will be taking on the roles of an RAF officer, a US president named Merkin Muffley and Strangelove himself, an ex-Nazi scientist. “I for one can’t wait to see Steve make them his own. It’s going to be a thrill for all of us,” said Iannucci. 

“It’s also an exciting challenge, an opportunity to bring this timeless classic to a new audience,” Steve Coogan also told The Guardian. 

What is ‘Dr. Strangelove’ about?

The Oscar-nominated film, shot after the Cuban Missile Crisis, revolves around a series of absurd events triggered by the accidental activation of a U.S. Air Force bomber's nuclear bomb, which is headed for the Soviet Union. The central character, Dr. Strangelove, is a brilliant but deranged former Nazi scientist who advises the U.S. president and other officials on how to respond to the crisis.

As the film unfolds, viewers are introduced to a cast of eccentric characters, including the paranoid General Jack D. Ripper, who ordered the nuclear strike without authorization, and the bumbling President Merkin Muffley, who desperately tries to prevent a full-scale nuclear war. Meanwhile, the Soviet Ambassador and U.S. military leaders engage in absurd discussions and negotiations.

Where can I watch Stanley Kubrick’s original ‘Dr. Strangelove’?

‘Dr Strangelove’ is available to purchase digitally through all leading streaming video platforms. 

When is the stage adaption of ‘Dr. Strangelove’ playing in London?

The stage adaptation of ‘Dr. Strangelove’  is scheduled to open in the West End in autumn 2024.