The Regime | What is Kate Winslet’s new series about, who else stars in it and when is it out in the UK

It’s a welcome return to our screen for Kate Winslet, who has been cast in the lead role as Chancellor Elena Vernham in the new HBO political satire, “The Regime,” which begins airing in the United States this weekend - with a Sky Atlantic and NOW TV users set for all the episodes to drop on the platform afterwards.

Winslet plays the fictional Chancellor Elena Vernham, leader of a European country who has seen domestic unrest threaten her autocratic state. She meets  Corporal Herbert Zubak, an unlikely confidant during the escalation of the internal conflict, leading him to exert more authority in his position the closer Vernham gets to him.

The series was created by British filmmaker Stephen Frears, known for his Oscar-nominated works “The Grifters” in 1990 and “The Queen” with Dame Helen Mirren in 2006. Frears‘ last work came two years ago with the release of “The Lost King,” starring Steve Coogan and Sally Hawkins and based on the story of Philippa Langley (Sally Hawkins), the woman who initiated the search to find King Richard III's remains under a car park in Leicester, and her treatment by the University of Leicester in the claiming of credit for the discovery

But owing to his success on the small screen, especially when it comes to pieces that capture the zeitgeist of a certain era (see: “Walter” starring Sir Ian McKellen) or political drama (also see: “The Deal” with Michael Sheehan in 2003), “The Regime” is definitely one of the early highlights to arrive on HBO this year - so far.

What is “The Regime” about?

“The series depicts a year within the palace of a crumbling authoritarian regime After not leaving the palace for quite some time, Chancellor Elena Vernham becomes increasingly paranoid and unstable and turns to a volatile soldier, Herbert Zubak, as an unlikely confidant. As Zubak's influence over the chancellor grows, Elena's attempts to expand her power eventually result in the palace and the country fracturing around her”

Who else stars in “The Regime”?

HBO has listed the following performers in lead roles in “The Regime”:

• Kate Winslet as Elena Vernham
• Matthias Schoenaerts as Corporal Herbert Zubak
• Guillaume Gallienne as Nicholas
• Andrea Riseborough as Agnes
• Martha Plimpton as Judith Holt
• Hugh Grant as the Leader of the Opposition

When is “The Regime” on TV?

While the series begins on HBO on March 3 2024, those in the United Kingdom will have to wait until April 2024, when all six episodes will be released through Sky Atlantic and NOW TV as a box set.