Carry On Up the Cyber.

Channel 4's new techno-thriller, The Undeclared War, revealed itself with a pseudo-breaking news segment starring Adrian Lester and Simon Pegg—two of the most recognisable actors on UK television. Even so, the stunt triggered some odd reactions from 'panicked' viewers.

The obvious touchstone is George Orwell's 1977 radio adaptation of 'The War of the Worlds'—an event which supposedly convinced America that a Martian invasion was underway. It's complete bollocks, of course, but you can understand why broadcasters buy into the myth.

Dan Chase's trailer is an attention-grabbing piece of work regardless, with Prime Minister Andrew Makinde (Lester) and GCHQ boffin Daniel Patrick (Pegg) warning viewers of an "invisible strike by an unidentified foreign power" that may cripple the entire country. Whenever an authority figure says "remain calm", you know that shit's about to hit the fan.

Product Category: TV Programmes

Territory: UK

Carry On Up the Cyber.

by Andrew MacGregor

Channel 4's new techno-thriller, The Undeclared War, revealed itself with a pseudo-breaking news segment starring Adrian Lester and Simon Pegg—two of the most recognisable actors on UK television. Even so, the stunt triggered some odd reactions from 'panicked' viewers.

The obvious touchstone is George Orwell's 1977 radio adaptation of 'The War of the Worlds'—an event which supposedly convinced America that a Martian invasion was underway. It's complete bollocks, of course, but you can understand why broadcasters buy into the myth.

Dan Chase's trailer is an attention-grabbing piece of work regardless, with Prime Minister Andrew Makinde (Lester) and GCHQ boffin Daniel Patrick (Pegg) warning viewers of an "invisible strike by an unidentified foreign power" that may cripple the entire country. Whenever an authority figure says "remain calm", you know that shit's about to hit the fan.

Product Category: TV Programmes

Territory: UK