The Day Britain Stopped (TV 2003)

One day in the near future, a rail strike, traffic congestion and a mid-air plane collision bring the UK's transport system to a halt.

Director:

Gabriel Range

Writers:

Simon Finch, Gabriel Range

Stars:

Tim Pigott-Smith, Eric Carte, Andrew Shield

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tim Pigott-Smith	...	Narrator (voice)
Eric Carte	...	Tom Walker, MP (Transport Minister)
Andrew Shield	...	Inspector Clive Turner (Surrey Police Roads Division) (as Andy Shield)
Stephen North	...	Julian Galt (as Steve North)
Angelo Andreou	...	Tomas Galt (air crash victim)
Emma Pinto	...	Ana Galt (air crash victim)
Olivia MacDonald	...	Marina Galt (air crash victim)
Prue Clarke	...	Pauline Watkins (mother of car-crash victim)
Jonathan Linsley	...	PC Tony Foster (Surrey Police Roads Division)
Anna Rajan	...	Herself (Radio 5 Traffic Reporter)
Tony Longhurst	...	Steve Thomas (Tanker Driver)
David Holt	...	Dominic Steel (Safety Compliance Manager, Heathrow)
Joanna Griffiths	...	Nicola Evans (Approach Controller, West Drayton Air Traffic Control)
Alison Skot	...	Air Traffic Controller
Daniel Copeland	...	Matt Ogden (Supervisor, Heathrow Control Tower)

Storyline

Dramatised documentary which analyses the catastrophe and national tragedy that could happen to Britain if its already over-burdened transport systems reached breaking point. Set in the future on 19 December 2003 and presented as if it were a retrospective documentary made subsequently, complete with mock archive footage and hindsight interviews.

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Plot Keywords:

mockumentary

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

BBC - issues raised and behind-the-scenes production BBCi [uk]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 May 2003 (UK)

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Wall to Wall Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Version of Untitled Ridley Scott/Kieran Fitzgerald Project

User Reviews

What nearly was...

Like Smallpox 2001 before it, i found out about this on the day it was to be shown by flipping through the paper, and i'm glad i watched it, continuing in the vein of "What might have been" BBC docu-dramas (The war game, Threads, Smallpox 2001, and If... in 2004) it shows an all-too plausible scenario of total meltdown of the transport system. Also quite scary (to me anyway) was the antiquated-looking nature of the air traffic control systems..they said that the controllers had to "Imagine a 3D picture", this isnt the 1970's anymore, we have the technology for the screen to display a 3D picture!. But anyway, if this film is ever repeated i recommend people watch it..even if it is just to call it "scaremongering" as so many anti-science people do