Sky casts for Michael Gove lookalike to join new production

Michael Gove, minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, arrives in Downing Street, London - Credit: PA

Sky producers are searching for a Michael Gove lookalike to play the cabinet minister in the upcoming series, This Sceptred Isle.

The five-part drama charts events surrounding the prime minister, Downing Street, and the country during the first wave of the global pandemic.

A casting brief says producers are searching for a male “in his early 50s, upper middle class, well-spoken” who is based in the UK. Prior acting experience is not necessary.

A TV source says: “This is the perfect role for anyone who’s ever been made fun of for looking or sounding like Michael Gove. What a way to show all those that have ridiculed you by getting a part in a huge Sky drama like this.”

This Sceptred Isle will air next autumn on Sky Atlantic and Now TV.

Kenneth Branagh – who played Hercule Poirot in Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express – has been cast as Boris Johnson.

The show is co-written by Michael Winterbottom – creator of The Trip series with Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon – and Kieron Quirke, who was behind BBC Three’s Cuckoo.

The show is based on testimonies of those working in Downing Street, the Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies, the Department of Health, hospitals, and care homes.