'The Undeclared War': Britain under cyber threat in Channel 4 drama

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Britain's free-to-air public service TV station, Channel 4 - itself under threat of privatisation despite widespread opposition - is behind this promotion for its new cyber thriller, 'The Undeclared War'. Actors Adrian Lester and Simon Pegg make their alarming announcement in sombre tones. What do you think of the ad? Simon Pegg is known for his role as an amusing sidekick to Tom Cruise's character in the 'Mission Impossible' series of high-octane action films, which are heavy on national and international threats to humanity. Might this work against the doom-ridden tone of this warning? In our increasingly tech-driven world, cyber security has become a key issue from personal to universal systems. A cyber security threat is defined as "any possible malicious attack that seeks to unlawfully access data, disrupt digital operations or damage information". Actioning these threats could of course bring entire nations to their knees as depicted in various movies, from 1983's 'WarGames: The Dead Code' through 'The Matrix' (1999) to 'The Great Hack' in 2019. Are we so busy watching dramatic films and TV series that we're blind to the far-reaching implications of everyday tech usage? Or does this campaign strike you as of-the-moment and another potential awareness-raising classic? Channel 4 says: “Since Orson Welles first terrified the nation with his 'War of the Worlds' broadcast, the idea of feeling that the nation is at the centre of a drama has thrilled audiences. Channel 4’s new drama, 'The Undeclared War', is so relevant to our current global context that we wanted viewers to feel the jeopardy to our very way of life. We think this campaign really brings the reality of cyber war into people’s homes.” Perhaps you're thinking we've had enough doom and gloom and jeopardy pumped at us from screens recently and that it's high time to cash in on life's simpler, less technical and more tangible joys?

Keywords: Channel 4 'The Undeclared War', cyber threat UK series, cyber security movies and series, Simon Pegg, Adrian Lester, 4Creative agency