EXCLUSIVE: Sky’s buzzy series on British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has found its latest protagonists in the shape of Elementary actress Ophelia Lovibond and Brexit: The Uncivil War star Simon Paisley Day.

Deadline can reveal that Lovibond will star next to Kenneth Branagh as Johnson’s fiancee, Carrie Symonds, in This Sceptred Isle. Paisley Day will play Dominic Cummings, the prime minister’s most senior adviser at the height of the coronavirus crisis, which provides the backdrop to the five-part series.

Co-written and directed by The Trip helmer Michael Winterbottom, This Sceptred Isle is based on first-hand testimony from those close to Johnson. It will chart the events surrounding the PM, the government, and the country in the face of the first wave of the global coronavirus pandemic.

There is little doubt it was an extraordinary period for the British leader, who fell critically ill with Covid-19 and weeks after his discharge from hospital, welcomed a son with Symonds. Meanwhile, the country was gripped by a war-like crisis, which has now led to the death of more than 120,000 people.

Lovibond will step into the shoes of Symonds having recently wrapped HBO Max’s comedy pilot Minx, from writer Ellen Rapoport, Paul Feig’s Feigco Entertainment, and Lionsgate TV. She is known for starring in CBS’s Elementary and BBC comedy W1A, while other credits include Netflix’s Feel Good and Apple’s Trying. She is repped by Independent Talent Group, ICM Partners, and Omni Artists Ltd.

Paisley Day is returning to familiar territory in depicting Cummings. He starred as British MP Douglas Carswell in Brexit: The Uncivil War, the Channel 4 and HBO political drama that was headlined by Benedict Cumberbatch as Cummings. His other credits include The Crown and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. He is repped by United Agents.

Filming has commenced on This Sceptred Isle, which will premiere in fall 2022. The project first emerged last year as part of a deal between Winterbottom and Fremantle’s Passenger, run by True Detective producer Richard Brown. It is produced by Fremantle, Passenger, and Winterbottom’s Revolution Films.

Winterbottom has co-written the series with Kieron Quirke, and will direct all five episodes. He will also executive produce alongside Brown. Melissa Parmenter (Revolution Films) will produce alongside Josh Hyams and Anthony Wilcox. Tim Shipman, political editor of The Sunday Times, is acting as a consultant.

The casting news follows Sky releasing a first-look image of Branagh as Johnson last month. The Oscar-nominated actor joined the cast in January. Take a look at him in character below.

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