In times of national emergency, a team comprised of Britain’s leading experts, crisis contingency planners and the most senior politicians assemble under the name COBRA to form the committee entrusted to protect the people of Great Britain.
Set in the heart of government during a major crisis, this six-part series written by Ben Richards, hurls us both into the corridors of power and the eye of the storm on the ground as we follow the Prime Minister, Robert Sutherland and his Chief of Staff, Anna Marshall. Not only are they forced to contend with impossible political decisions and their ferociously pressured personal lives, they must also be mindful of political opponents who will use any sign of weakness as the opportunity to strike…
Meet the main characters below:
Prime Minister Robert Sutherland (Robert Carlyle)
A charismatic leader, driven by a desire to do what’s right for his country and his family. But these two things will come into conflict when his decision to conceal a misdemeanour by his daughter becomes public, forcing him to fight fires not only on the streets of the UK, but also within the corridors of Whitehall as a new crisis, one that threatens to upend his position, rears its head.
Chief of Staff Anna Marshall (Victoria Hamilton)
The PM’s brilliantly intelligent and sharp Chief of Staff. Her long marriage to husband Sam is beginning to stagnate when a former flame, Edin, from her time as a journalist in Bosnia returns to London and wants to rekindle their relationship. It soon becomes clear that Edin has accumulated some unwanted baggage during their estrangement and Anna must be careful that their relationship doesn’t jeopardise her career as well as her family.
Home Secretary Archie Glover-Morgan (David Haig)
Ambitious, argumentative and not afraid to shout an unpopular view from the rooftops, Archie holds the third great office of the United Kingdom and has fought tooth and nail to get there. While his relationship with the Prime Minister is built on mutual respect, Archie will seize any opportunity for more power if such a chance presents itself.
Fraser Walker (Richard Dormer)
One of the best crisis contingency planners the country has ever known. While his ability to overcome and tackle problems in his professional life comes as second nature, he’s not so adept in his personal life – leaving him with a destroyed marriage and increasingly distant kids. When his own father dies suddenly during the crisis the pressures, both personally and professionally, threaten to engulf him completely.
Rachel Sutherland (Lucy Cohu)
A brilliant lawyer, Jane’s legal expertise could be the factor that undoes her husband’s career. Every mother’s instinct is to do everything they can to protect their child and when Jane coaches daughter Ellie when she is questioned about a friends overdose, she truly is doing just that. But no one is above the law and when slippery press secretary Peter Mott implicates her in perverting the course of justice, Jane will find herself in a very different position to what she’s used to in court.
Read our COBRA episode 1 preview for a sneak peak at the premiere.
COBRA starts at 9pm Friday 17th January 2020 on Sky One and Now TV.
