BBC - 10 Days to War (2008)

On 20 March 2003, the UK and US went to war. Thousands of Iraqis died, millions were displaced, and cities were practically destroyed. But why and how? Now a groundbreaking drama goes behind scenes of the countdown to the Iraq war. Part thriller, part political drama, 10 Days to War has a relentless ticking-clock intensity, with all events unfolding in real-time. From Tony Blair selling the idea of the war to his sceptical party and cynical public and the American marketing of Ahmed Chalabi as the 'George Washington of Iraq' to the shock and awe of the first strike, this distinctive and compelling film lifts the lid on the back-room bullying and gripping human dramas played out privately in the corridors of power. A series of eight TV dramas commissioned by the BBC's 'Newsnight' programme to mark the fifth anniversary of the start of the Iraq war. Each drama focuses on separate events in the lead up to the war - concerns at the Foreign Office, Parliament's vote on military action, the search for 'weapons of mass destruction' - with each played out in real time. The dramas combine to provide a telling snapshot of the behind-the-scenes manoeuvring that took place in political arenas around the globe at the time, while also highlighting the more basic human emotions of those caught up in the unfolding events.

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