BBC One is preparing to air a brand new feature-length drama, The Trick, telling the real-life story of the ‘Climategate’ affair from 2009.
The film follows Professor Philip Jones (played by Jason Watkins), the Director of Climate Research at the University of East Anglia, who was one of the targets in a co-ordinated hack that saw thousands of emails stolen and used by climate change deniers.
“With time running out against an unseen enemy, The Trick looks at the potentially devastating consequences to humanity from climate change denial – how a media storm undermined public confidence in the science and how the concept of ‘truth’ took a back seat causing us to lose a decade of action,” reads the official BBC synopsis.
It continues: “The film also charts the unjustified persecution of Phil Jones, his wife Ruth’s support of her husband and the fight for the ultimate exoneration of himself and the science.”
Read on for everything you need to know about how to watch The Trick.
The Trick release date
The Trick will be made available to stream on BBC iPlayer from Monday 18th October 2021, and will air that night on BBC One at 8.30pm.
The Trick cast
The Trick cast is led by Jason Watkins (McDonald & Dodds) as Professor Phil Jones, alongside his former The Crown co-star Victoria Hamilton as Jones’s wife, Ruth.
Other cast members include George MacKay (1917), Tara Divina (Line Of Duty), Jerome Flynn (Game Of Thrones), Rhashan Stone (Hollington Drive), Adrian Edmondson (Back to Life), and Aneirin Hughes (Keeping Faith).
Rounding out the cast are Pooky Quesnel (The A Word), Richard Elfyn (The Pact), David Calder (Time) and Justin Salinger (Hanna).
The Trick trailer
You can watch the short teaser trailer for The Trick right here.
The cybercrime that stole a decade…
— BBC (@BBC) October 7, 2021
#TheTrick, a landmark film that tells the real-life story of the ‘Climategate’ affair from 2009
The Trick / Streaming 18th October / BBC iPlayer / #OurPlanetNow pic.twitter.com/K6RlgaRESy
The Trick airs on BBC One on Monday 18th October. Visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight, or check out the rest of our Drama coverage.