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| company =
| company =
| channel = [[BBC Two]]
| channel = [[BBC Two]]
| picture_format =
| audio_format =
| first_aired = {{Start date|2003|5|13|df=y}}
| first_aired = {{Start date|2003|5|13|df=y}}
| related = [[The Man Who Broke Britain]]<br />Heatwave
| related = [[The Man Who Broke Britain]]<br />Heatwave
}}
}}


'''''The Day Britain Stopped''''' is a [[Pseudo-documentary|dramatic pseudo-documentary]] produced by [[Wall to Wall Media (production company)|Wall to Wall Media]] for the [[BBC]]. It is based on a fictional disaster that took place on December 19, 2003, in which a train strike is the first in a chain of events that lead to a fatal meltdown of Britain's transport system. Directed by [[Gabriel Range]], who wrote the script with producer Simon Finch, the film first aired on Tuesday, May 13, 2003, on BBC Two.
'''''The Day Britain Stopped''''' is a [[Pseudo-documentary|dramatic pseudo-documentary]] produced by [[Wall to Wall Media (production company)|Wall to Wall Media]] for the [[BBC]]. It depicts a fictional disaster on December 19, 2003, in which a train strike is the first in a chain of events that lead to a fatal meltdown of Britain's transport system. Directed by [[Gabriel Range]], who wrote the script with producer Simon Finch,<ref name=BFI/> the film first aired on Tuesday, May 13, 2003, on [[BBC Two]].


The drama makes use of various British television news services and newsreaders (such as [[Sky News]] and [[Channel 4]] News), foreign news channels (such as France's [[TF1]]), radio stations ([[Radio Five Live]]), real-life archival footage (from a [[train crash]] site, a speech by [[Prime Minister]] [[Tony Blair]] and various stock footage of British traffic congestion) and several cameo roles by well-known British personalities. Accompanying music includes excerpts from the movie soundtracks of ''[[The Shawshank Redemption (soundtrack)|The Shawshank Redemption]]'', ''[[The Sum of All Fears (film)|The Sum of All Fears]]'', ''[[Requiem for a Dream]]'', ''[[Heat (1995 film)|Heat]]'', and ''[[28 Days Later: The Soundtrack Album|28 Days Later]]''.
The drama makes use of various British television news services and newsreaders (such as [[Sky News]] and [[Channel 4]] News), foreign news channels (such as France's [[TF1]]), radio stations ([[Radio Five Live]]), real-life archival footage (from a [[train crash]] site, a speech by [[Prime Minister]] [[Tony Blair]] and various stock footage of British traffic congestion) and cameo roles by well-known British personalities. Accompanying music includes excerpts from the movie soundtracks of ''[[The Shawshank Redemption (soundtrack)|The Shawshank Redemption]]'', ''[[The Sum of All Fears (film)|The Sum of All Fears]]'', ''[[Requiem for a Dream]]'', ''[[Heat (1995 film)|Heat]]'', and ''[[28 Days Later: The Soundtrack Album|28 Days Later]]''.


==Plot==
==Plot==
{{long plot|date=July 2023}}
{{long plot|date=July 2023}}
Between 4 and 5 December 2003, 18 months after the [[Potters Bar rail accidents#2002|Potters Bar rail accident]], a fatal train accident near [[Edinburgh Waverley railway station|Waverley Station]] in [[Edinburgh]] leads to the [[ASLEF]] and [[National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers|RMT]] [[trade union]]s to declare a strike for December 19 due to safety concerns – forcing the heavy [[Christmas]] train passenger traffic to use the roads instead and lorries to take over the transportation of rail freight. ASLEF General Secretary [[Mick Rix]]'s decision to declare the strike is heavily criticised by the government, particularly by Junior Transport Minister Tom Walker.
In early December 2003, 18 months after the [[Potters Bar rail accidents#2022|Potters Bar rail accident]], a fatal train accident near [[Edinburgh Waverley railway station|Waverley Station]] in [[Edinburgh]] leads the [[Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen]] and [[National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers]] to declare a strike for 19 December on safety grounds, forcing the heavy Christmas rail passenger traffic to use the roads instead.


⚫
On 19 December, an accident on the [[M25 motorway]] leads to closure of the motorway in both directions. Within minutes, the resulting traffic congestion blocks the M25 at its junction with the [[M23 motorway|M23]]. Attempts at relieving the gridlock are hampered by a lack of coordination between police services overseeing different sections of the motorway. Traffic that managed to work its way through the diversion route past the original accident suffers a further setback when a chemical tanker lorry jackknifes on the M25 near [[Heathrow Airport]], causing a pile-up and further tailbacks, resulting in a second closure on the M25 and heavy delays on all the major arterial roads leading to London. Traffic attempts to drive through Central London, without much success. The first fatality is a patient whose gridlocked ambulance runs out of necessary medicine.
On December 19, Julian Galt and his family are travelling into Central London from Basingstoke for last-minute Christmas shopping, then onward to Heathrow Airport where they intend to take a flight to [[Bilbao]]. Julian's son, Thomas, records their journey on a home camcorder. At the same time, Pauline Watkins and her daughter Charlie are heading to [[Old Trafford (football ground)|Old Trafford]] in Manchester when a crossover accident on the [[M25 motorway]] in [[Surrey]] involving several vehicles takes place. Inspector Clive Turner, head of the [[Surrey Police]]'s [[Road Policing Unit]] makes the decision to close the motorway in both directions from the site of the accident. The resulting traffic congestion spreads at such a rate that, within minutes, the motorway is blocked at the junction with the [[M23 motorway|M23]]. Meanwhile, as British airspace runs overcapacity to cope with the Christmas traffic, heavy traffic delays force the [[air traffic controller]]s to work a far greater number of aircraft moving through their assigned sectors than normal. The [[Channel Tunnel]] workers are also part of the strike. Meaning that all vehicles wanting to travel on [[LeShuttle]] services are redirected to [[Dover]] for ferries to [[France]], while passengers wishing to travel on The [[Eurostar]] are booked onto Flights instead. But all trains continue to operate the normal timetable, however only members of rail staff are on board just in case they're needed.


Meanwhile, as British airspace runs over capacity to cope with the Christmas traffic, heavy traffic delays force air traffic controllers to work double and triple shifts. Jerry Newell, a pilot, is forced to walk to Heathrow in order to reach his flight to [[Toulouse]]. A friendly football match between England and Turkey at [[Old Trafford]] in Manchester is cancelled for low attendance, with thousands stranded on the [[M6 motorway|M6]] and [[M40 motorway|M40]], effectively rendering Manchester and Birmingham unreachable. The message is delivered by a stunned [[Gary Lineker]] on ''[[Match of the Day]]''.
⚫
Attempts at relieving the gridlock are hampered by a lack of coordination between police services overseeing different sections of the motorway, leading to cases of traffic being diverted onto the same roads in opposite directions. Traffic that managed to work its way through the diversion route past the Surrey accident suffers a further setback when a chemical tanker lorry driven by Steve Thomas [[jackknifing|jackknifes]] and overturns on the M25 near to [[Heathrow Airport]], causing a [[pile-up]] and further tailbacks, resulting in a second closure on the M25 in both directions for the rest of the day, and heavy delays on the [[M1 motorway|M1]], [[M2 motorway (Great Britain)|M2]], [[M3 motorway (Great Britain)|M3]], [[M11 motorway|M11]] and [[M20 motorway|M20]], all major artery roads leading to [[London]]. Re-routed traffic attempts to drive through [[Central London]], without much success, and many people miss their ferries because of this.


⚫
Julian Galt, his wife and two children are driving to Heathrow for a Christmas holiday in [[Bilbao]]. They are held up on the M25 after the tanker crash. Numerous people try to escape the motorway in their cars or on foot, but are turned back by [[Thames Valley Police]]. As night falls, hypothermia sets in among many of the stranded travellers. Julian's wife notices that Heathrow is less than a mile away, and convinces Julian to lead the family there; they sneak past immobilised cars and police officers on motorbikes to get off the motorway, then walk through farm fields in the darkness to reach a minor road and flag down a passing minibus. Julian tells his family that he will return to the car and catch the next flight to Bilbao in the morning. Subsequently the authorities implement the fictional top-secret Operation Gridlock, ordering everyone trapped on the M25 to leave their cars and performing [[triage]] in tent cities on nearby fields.
Charlie Watson, whose mother's car was hit in the lorry accident earlier that day, whilst travelling to Old Trafford, becomes the first fatality when her gridlocked ambulance runs out of necessary medicine.


In Heathrow's tower, air-traffic controller Nicola Evans volunteered to work late when her replacement did not arrive. Overworked, she mistakenly sends an [[Aer Lingus]] jet to taxi onto a runway where a [[Czech Airlines]] cargo plane is about to land. Conflicting instructions are given by the other controllers. After agonising over her choices, Evans issues a [[go-around]] instruction to the Czech jet, which avoids the Aer Lingus plane but collides with the departing [[British Airways]] flight to Bilbao. All on board are killed; burning wreckage falls across much of [[Hounslow]] and the surrounding area, causing extensive damage and fires. Emergency services attempting to reach the scene have to resort to minor roads because of the widespread congestion. Heathrow's fire services are sent out to assist, but this requires the airport to close, with incoming flights being diverted elsewhere, and all flights out of all UK airports are grounded after UK airspace is shut down.
As traffic worsens, Jerry Newell, a pilot for [[British Airways]] (BA), is being driven to [[Heathrow Airport]] by his wife, Jane, in order to reach his flight to [[Toulouse-Blagnac Airport|Toulouse]]. Caught in the gridlock, he makes the decision to make his way to the airport on foot, while a friendly [[football (soccer)|football]] match between [[England national football team|England]] and [[Turkey national football team|Turkey]] at [[Old Trafford]] in [[Manchester]] is cancelled for low attendance, with thousands stranded on the [[M6 motorway|M6]] and [[M40 motorway|M40]], effectively shutting down Manchester and [[Liverpool]]. The message is delivered by a stunned [[Gary Lineker]] while live on ''[[Match of the Day]]''. Back at the airport, flights begin to get cancelled and essential workers such as: Pilots, Cabin Crew, Air Traffic Controllers, Airport Staff, Police Officers, Firefighters, Doctors, Nurses, Bus Drivers, Supermarket Workers, Port Staff and Ferry Captains are stranded unable to get home or to work. A phone call goes out to all train operators to get ready for passengers should it become necessary. The [[London Underground]], [[Docklands Light Railway]] and [[Manchester Metrolink]] start services with night running to help ease congestion on the roads in the big cities that they serve.


Several hours after pilot Jerry Newell left her car to walk to the airport, his wife Jane gets home to [[Shepperton]] and sees news of the air crash on the television. After repeated phone calls, she discovers that the flight involved in the disaster was to Bilbao. However, she then receives a phone call from British Airways, telling her that Jerry's flight to Toulouse was cancelled, and he had instead captained the flight to Bilbao and is dead. Julian's family are also all dead, having reached the airport in time to board the delayed flight to Bilbao.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/programmes/the_day_britain_stopped/timelines/story/html/default.stm |title=Programme Timeline: ''The Day Britain Stopped'' |publisher=[[BBC]] |access-date=16 July 2023 }}</ref>
⚫
Meanwhile, the Galt family are held up on the M25 along with countless other motorists after the tanker crash, Their plane tickets are non refundable or non changeable and they have got to get to the airport or they will be denied for travel. Numerous people try to escape the motorway in their cars or on foot but are stopped by the [[Thames Valley Police]], who escort people back to their cars on foot and have [[Police motorcycle|motorcycle officer]]s pursue and stop fleeing vehicles from going off-road. As night falls, [[hypothermia]] sets in among many of the stranded motorists. Julian's wife notices that Heathrow is less than a mile away on foot and after Julian is successfully convinced by his wife to lead the family to the airport, the group sneak past immobilised cars and police officers to get off the motorway, walking through farm fields in the darkness to reach a minibus waiting on a minor road. After taking his son's camera, Julian tells his family that he's going to return to the car so it isn't towed away and that he'll catch the next flight to Bilbao in the morning, the rest of the family go onto Heathrow and board the BA plane to Bilbao.


⚫
Nicola Evans and two other air traffic controllers are dismissed from their jobs and eventually tried on multiple manslaughter charges for their negligence. The charges are dropped after the prosecution case collapses following revelations of larger issues in Heathrow's air-traffic control and a previous near miss (also fictitious). The final death toll of the air crash is 87: 64 passengers and crew, and 23 people on the ground. There were also five deaths from hypothermia on the motorways, and eight other deaths.
Severe hypothermia now incapacitates numerous vulnerable motorists, and several more of the trapped drivers begin to die of exposure. The authorities realise their attempts to force people to stay with their vehicles are making the situation worse and so "Operation Gridlock", an emergency contingency plan authorised by the government, is implemented. Motorists are now instructed to leave their vehicles and make their way to shelters adjacent to the roads for triage and evaluation, whereupon further transport will eventually be arranged. People most at risk are taken to [[field hospital]]s near the shelters for triage. Meanwhile, Le Shuttle services resume to help relieve road vehicles going to and from the cross channel ferries with trains leaving every 10 minutes From their [[Eurotunnel Folkestone Terminal|UK]] and [[Eurotunnel Calais Terminal|French Terminals]]. At the same time, the BA flight to Bilbao is cleared for pushback at Heathrow.

[[London Terminal Control Centre|West Drayton]] approach controller Nicola Evans volunteers to work overtime when her replacement, stranded amidst the gridlocked traffic, does not turn up on time. Overworked, she forgets to reduce the speed of a [[Czech Airlines]] cargo flight that is tucked in behind an [[Aer Lingus]] jet on final approach and the separation between the two planes begins to rapidly decrease. If left unchecked, the Aer Lingus flight would not have enough time to exit the runway before the Czech flight touched down on the same runway. Meanwhile, the BA flight is cleared for take-off on the parallel runway.

Suddenly realising her mistake, Nicola struggles to issue the cargo flight an instruction to [[go-around]]. The pilots eventually receive the message and follow the order, thus avoiding a collision with the incoming Aer Lingus flight, but unbeknownst to them, the aircraft is now climbing directly into the flight path of the departing British Airways flight. The two planes collide at 1,800 feet (550 m), a mile north-east of the airport – all passengers and crew on board both planes are killed upon impact. The explosion is seen across Heathrow and the settlements nearby; burning wreckage and aviation fuel showers across much of [[Hounslow]], flattening streets and setting areas of the town and its surroundings on fire.

Emergency services struggle to reach the scene due to the clogged roads, ultimately resorting to using minor roads. Due to the proximity of Heathrow to the crash site, the airport's fire services are sent out to assist in the rescue efforts – but this, in turn, forces the airport to close. Though other airports are initially used for diversions, the airspace is subsequently shut until further notice and the trains take over with night services.

The first train is a [[Great North Eastern Railway|GNER]] service from [[London King's Cross railway station|London King's Cross]] to [[Leeds railway station|Leeds]] via [[Wakefield Westgate railway station|Wakefield]] formed of a [[InterCity 225]] electric high speed train. Upon arrival at Leeds, it connects passengers with a [[Arriva Trains Northern]] [[British Rail Class 156|Class 156]] on a service to [[York railway station|York]] via [[Harrogate railway station|Harrogate]], and a [[British Rail Class 158|Class 158]] with a service to {{rws|Carlisle}}, via the [[Settle–Carlisle line]]. The second service to leave London is a [[South West Trains]] service from [[London Waterloo railway station|London Waterloo]] to [[Portsmouth Harbour railway station|Portsmouth Harbour]] via [[Guildford railway station|Guildford]] and [[Petersfield railway station|Petersfield]] formed of a [[British Rail Class 450|Class 450]], when it arrives in [[Portsmouth]], it's passengers connect to the [[Wightlink]] Catamaran to [[Ryde Pier Head railway station|Ryde Pier Head]] for the [[Island Line, Isle of Wight|Island Line]] to [[Shanklin railway station|Shanklin]], and by bus to the [[Portsmouth International Port|Continental Ferry Port]] for a High Speed [[Brittany Ferries]] sailing to [[Cherbourg]] on [[HSC Condor Express|Condor Express]]. The third train to leave the capital is a [[Virgin Trains]] service from [[London Euston railway station|London Euston]] to [[Birmingham New Street railway station|Birmingham New Street]]. When it arrives in [[Birmingham]], its passengers connect with rail and bus services across the [[West Midlands (county)|West Midlands]]. The first Eurostar train is a service From [[Waterloo International railway station|Waterloo]] to [[Gare du Nord|Paris]] Stopping to pick up Passengers in [[Ashford International railway station|Ashford, Kent]].

Jane returns to her home in [[Shepperton]] several hours after Jerry left her car to walk to the airport and finds news coverage of the disaster on the television. She begins to worry and tries contacting the staff at the airport for information about whether her husband was okay. She is notified that the flight involved in the disaster was departing to Bilbao and is briefly calmed. However, she then receives a phone call from British Airways telling her that Jerry's flight to Toulouse was cancelled; he instead had been called into captain the flight to Bilbao and was killed in the crash.
 
At one of the Operation Gridlock shelters, Julian hears from a radio broadcast that an air accident has taken place at London Heathrow. His decision to return to the motorway to ensure his car wasn't taken away saved his life, but his wife and two children are dead.

⚫
Nicola Evans and two other air traffic controllers are dismissed from their jobs and eventually put on trial for multiple [[manslaughter in English law|manslaughter]] charges for their negligence. The charges are dropped after revelations over larger issues in Heathrow's air-traffic control to do with the missed approach procedure, and the similarity in the disaster to a previous near-miss (also fictitious), causing the prosecution's case to collapse in the process. The final death toll of the disaster was 87 people{{spnd}} all 64 passengers and crew, and 23 on the ground were killed. There were also five deaths from hypothermia on the motorways and eight elsewhere. Amid rising pressure from the government, ASLEF and RMT order the strikes to be halted, bringing an end to the crisis.

One year later, a memorial service is held at [[St Bride's Church]] in Central London for the victims who died in the events.


==Cast==
==Cast==
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*Rebekah Janes as a concerned woman
*Rebekah Janes as a concerned woman
*Satnam Bhogal as Inesh Gunwadena
*Satnam Bhogal as Inesh Gunwadena
*[[Tim Crouch]] as Daniel Boyd<ref name=BFI>{{cite web |url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b88b75a32 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230716070558/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b88b75a32 |url-status=dead |archive-date=16 July 2023 |title=The Day Britain Stopped (2003) |website=[[British Film Institute]] |access-date=16 July 2023}}</ref>
*[[Tim Crouch]] as Daniel Boyd
*[[Julie Wilson Nimmo]] as TV phone witness (uncredited)
*[[Julie Wilson Nimmo]] as TV phone witness (uncredited)


[[Tim Pigott-Smith]] provided the narration. [[Katie Derham]], [[Charlotte Green]], [[Philip Hayton]], [[John Humphrys]], [[Gary Lineker]], [[Anna Rajan (journalist)|Anna Rajan]], [[Jon Snow (journalist)|Jon Snow]] and [[Kirsty Young]] appeared as themselves.
[[Tim Pigott-Smith]] provided the narration.<ref name=BFI/> [[Katie Derham]], [[Charlotte Green]], [[Philip Hayton]], [[John Humphrys]], [[Gary Lineker]], [[Anna Rajan (journalist)|Anna Rajan]], [[Jon Snow (journalist)|Jon Snow]] and [[Kirsty Young]] appeared as themselves.


Archive footage of [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]] [[Tony Blair]] was used, combining parts of his statements in the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] about [[Air France Flight 4590]] and the [[Great Heck rail crash]].
Archive footage of [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]] [[Tony Blair]] was used, combining parts of his statements in the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] about [[Air France Flight 4590]] and the [[Great Heck rail crash]].
Line 107: Line 90:


==Reception==
==Reception==
''[[Radio Times]]'' said: "Scarily realistic ... chilling ... a remarkable piece of reality-based drama ... a credible scenario ... a wonderful piece of television ... so plausibly done that it should really have a warning flash in the corner of the screen saying 'fiction' in big red letters ... loving pastiches of news reports, corporate videos, magazine covers, press conferences - the fakery is fascinating, like looking at a forged banknote. It works as a smart riveting drama and also as a warning of the power of the financial markets".<ref name="W">{{cite web | url=http://www.walltowall.co.uk/program/the-day-britain-stopped_29.aspx | title=The Day Britain Stopped | work=Wall to Wall | accessdate=24 September 2013}}</ref>
''[[Radio Times]]'' called the film: "Scarily realistic&nbsp; ... so plausibly done that it should really have a warning flash in the corner of the screen saying 'fiction' in big red letters.&nbsp;... It works as a smart riveting drama and also as a warning of the power of the financial markets".<ref name="W">{{cite web | url=http://www.walltowall.co.uk/program/the-day-britain-stopped_29.aspx | title=The Day Britain Stopped | work=Wall to Wall | accessdate=24 September 2013}}</ref> A reviewer in ''[[The Guardian]]'' wrote that it was " an excellent and horrible film&nbsp;... Indeed, if there was anything that betrayed the fictional nature of The Day Britain Stopped, it was its craftedness and lack of [[sensationalism]]."<ref>{{cite news |author=Gareth McLean |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2003/may/14/broadcasting.tvandradio |title=Last night's TV |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=14 May 2003 |access-date=16 July 2023 }}</ref>


In response to the programme's original broadcast, the following statement was issued by [[NATS Holdings|National Air Traffic Services]]:
In response to the programme's original broadcast, the following statement was issued by [[NATS Holdings|National Air Traffic Services]]:


{{blockquote|National Air Traffic Services believes that this programme not only fails to portray standard operational procedures accurately, but in doing so, paints an unfair and misleading picture of UK air traffic operations. In particular, there is no mention that the two aircraft involved in this fictitious incident would have been fitted with on-board [[Airborne collision avoidance system|collision avoidance systems]] which, combined with air traffic control's [[Short-term conflict alert|Conflict Alert system]], would have prevented the 'accident'. Furthermore, the programme inaccurately portrays Heathrow's standard go-around procedures and the way air traffic controllers at Heathrow communicate with each other and with the West Drayton unit. The programme takes insufficient account of the traffic flow management procedures and ground movement radar systems, and inaccurately portrays the context in which airspace sectors are combined. This programme presents itself as dramatised documentary. However, it is not only based on a highly unlikely scenario, but deliberately ignores – or misrepresents – almost every standard safety system or procedure currently in use. NATA keeps these procedures under constant review and, as a consequence, the UK has maintained its exemplary air safety record despite rising levels of traffic. In our view, this programme is highly inaccurate and needlessly alarmist.<ref name="Statement from National Air Traffic Services">{{cite web | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/the_day_britain_stopped/3404603.stm | title=Statement from National Air Traffic Services | work=BBC | accessdate=20 August 2021}}</ref>}}
{{blockquote|National Air Traffic Services believes that this programme not only fails to portray standard operational procedures accurately, but in doing so, paints an unfair and misleading picture of UK air traffic operations. In particular, there is no mention that the two aircraft involved in this fictitious incident would have been fitted with on-board [[Airborne collision avoidance system|collision avoidance systems]] which, combined with air traffic control's [[Short-term conflict alert|Conflict Alert system]], would have prevented the 'accident'. Furthermore, the programme inaccurately portrays Heathrow's standard go-around procedures and the way air traffic controllers at Heathrow communicate with each other and with the West Drayton unit. The programme takes insufficient account of the traffic flow management procedures and ground movement radar systems, and inaccurately portrays the context in which airspace sectors are combined. This programme presents itself as dramatised documentary. However, it is not only based on a highly unlikely scenario, but deliberately ignores – or misrepresents – almost every standard safety system or procedure currently in use. NATA keeps these procedures under constant review and, as a consequence, the UK has maintained its exemplary air safety record despite rising levels of traffic. In our view, this programme is highly inaccurate and needlessly alarmist.<ref name="Statement from National Air Traffic Services">{{cite web | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/the_day_britain_stopped/3404603.stm | title=Statement from National Air Traffic Services | via=BBC | accessdate=20 August 2021}}</ref>}}

==Projected studio version==
In 2012, [[Ridley Scott]] and [[Steve Zaillian]] planned to make a film inspired by ''The Day Britain Stopped'' at [[20th Century Fox]].<ref>{{cite news |author=Tatiana Siegel |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/ridley-scott-steve-zaillian-movie-the-day-britain-stopped-354497/ |title=Ridley Scott and Steve Zaillian Team for Disaster Pic (Exclusive) |work=[[Hollywood Reporter]] |date=26 July 2012 |access-date=16 July 2023}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
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==External links==
==External links==
* {{IMDb title}}
* {{IMDb title}}
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/the_day_britain_stopped/default.stm ''The Day Britain Stopped''], BBC


{{DEFAULTSORT:Day Britain Stopped, The}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Day Britain Stopped, The}}

Revision as of 14:28, 16 May 2024

The Day Britain Stopped
GenreDrama
Docufiction
Pseudo-documentary
Written by
Directed byGabriel Range
Narrated byTim Pigott-Smith
ComposerAlan O'Duffy
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producers
ProducerSimon Finch
Editors
  • Horacio Queiro
  • Simon Greenwood
Running time90 minutes
Original release
NetworkBBC Two
Release13 May 2003 (2003-05-13)
Related
The Man Who Broke Britain
Heatwave

The Day Britain Stopped is a dramatic pseudo-documentary produced by Wall to Wall Media for the BBC. It depicts a fictional disaster on December 19, 2003, in which a train strike is the first in a chain of events that lead to a fatal meltdown of Britain's transport system. Directed by Gabriel Range, who wrote the script with producer Simon Finch,[1] the film first aired on Tuesday, May 13, 2003, on BBC Two.

The drama makes use of various British television news services and newsreaders (such as Sky News and Channel 4 News), foreign news channels (such as France's TF1), radio stations (Radio Five Live), real-life archival footage (from a train crash site, a speech by Prime Minister Tony Blair and various stock footage of British traffic congestion) and cameo roles by well-known British personalities. Accompanying music includes excerpts from the movie soundtracks of The Shawshank Redemption, The Sum of All Fears, Requiem for a Dream, Heat, and 28 Days Later.

Plot

In early December 2003, 18 months after the Potters Bar rail accident, a fatal train accident near Waverley Station in Edinburgh leads the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen and National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers to declare a strike for 19 December on safety grounds, forcing the heavy Christmas rail passenger traffic to use the roads instead.

On 19 December, an accident on the M25 motorway leads to closure of the motorway in both directions. Within minutes, the resulting traffic congestion blocks the M25 at its junction with the M23. Attempts at relieving the gridlock are hampered by a lack of coordination between police services overseeing different sections of the motorway. Traffic that managed to work its way through the diversion route past the original accident suffers a further setback when a chemical tanker lorry jackknifes on the M25 near Heathrow Airport, causing a pile-up and further tailbacks, resulting in a second closure on the M25 and heavy delays on all the major arterial roads leading to London. Traffic attempts to drive through Central London, without much success. The first fatality is a patient whose gridlocked ambulance runs out of necessary medicine.

Meanwhile, as British airspace runs over capacity to cope with the Christmas traffic, heavy traffic delays force air traffic controllers to work double and triple shifts. Jerry Newell, a pilot, is forced to walk to Heathrow in order to reach his flight to Toulouse. A friendly football match between England and Turkey at Old Trafford in Manchester is cancelled for low attendance, with thousands stranded on the M6 and M40, effectively rendering Manchester and Birmingham unreachable. The message is delivered by a stunned Gary Lineker on Match of the Day.

Julian Galt, his wife and two children are driving to Heathrow for a Christmas holiday in Bilbao. They are held up on the M25 after the tanker crash. Numerous people try to escape the motorway in their cars or on foot, but are turned back by Thames Valley Police. As night falls, hypothermia sets in among many of the stranded travellers. Julian's wife notices that Heathrow is less than a mile away, and convinces Julian to lead the family there; they sneak past immobilised cars and police officers on motorbikes to get off the motorway, then walk through farm fields in the darkness to reach a minor road and flag down a passing minibus. Julian tells his family that he will return to the car and catch the next flight to Bilbao in the morning. Subsequently the authorities implement the fictional top-secret Operation Gridlock, ordering everyone trapped on the M25 to leave their cars and performing triage in tent cities on nearby fields.

In Heathrow's tower, air-traffic controller Nicola Evans volunteered to work late when her replacement did not arrive. Overworked, she mistakenly sends an Aer Lingus jet to taxi onto a runway where a Czech Airlines cargo plane is about to land. Conflicting instructions are given by the other controllers. After agonising over her choices, Evans issues a go-around instruction to the Czech jet, which avoids the Aer Lingus plane but collides with the departing British Airways flight to Bilbao. All on board are killed; burning wreckage falls across much of Hounslow and the surrounding area, causing extensive damage and fires. Emergency services attempting to reach the scene have to resort to minor roads because of the widespread congestion. Heathrow's fire services are sent out to assist, but this requires the airport to close, with incoming flights being diverted elsewhere, and all flights out of all UK airports are grounded after UK airspace is shut down.

Several hours after pilot Jerry Newell left her car to walk to the airport, his wife Jane gets home to Shepperton and sees news of the air crash on the television. After repeated phone calls, she discovers that the flight involved in the disaster was to Bilbao. However, she then receives a phone call from British Airways, telling her that Jerry's flight to Toulouse was cancelled, and he had instead captained the flight to Bilbao and is dead. Julian's family are also all dead, having reached the airport in time to board the delayed flight to Bilbao.[2]

Nicola Evans and two other air traffic controllers are dismissed from their jobs and eventually tried on multiple manslaughter charges for their negligence. The charges are dropped after the prosecution case collapses following revelations of larger issues in Heathrow's air-traffic control and a previous near miss (also fictitious). The final death toll of the air crash is 87: 64 passengers and crew, and 23 people on the ground. There were also five deaths from hypothermia on the motorways, and eight other deaths.

Cast

  • Eric Carte as Tom Walker
  • Andy Shield as Inspector Clive Turner
  • Steve North as Julian Galt
  • Angelo Andreou as Tomas Galt
  • Emma Pinto as Ana Galt
  • Olivia MacDonald as Marina Galt
  • Prue Clarke as Pauline Watkins
  • Jonathan Linsley as PC Tony Foster
  • Tony Longhurst as Steve Thomas
  • David Holt as Dominic Steel
  • Joanna Griffiths as Nicola Evans
  • Alison Skot as Air Traffic Controller
  • Daniel Copeland as Matt Ogden
  • Nancy McClean as Jane Newell
  • Rebekah Janes as a concerned woman
  • Satnam Bhogal as Inesh Gunwadena
  • Tim Crouch as Daniel Boyd[1]
  • Julie Wilson Nimmo as TV phone witness (uncredited)

Tim Pigott-Smith provided the narration.[1] Katie Derham, Charlotte Green, Philip Hayton, John Humphrys, Gary Lineker, Anna Rajan, Jon Snow and Kirsty Young appeared as themselves.

Archive footage of Prime Minister Tony Blair was used, combining parts of his statements in the House of Commons about Air France Flight 4590 and the Great Heck rail crash.

Production

The M96 motorway, a converted airfield used by the Fire Service College for training, was used as a stage for the M25.

Director Gabriel Range explains how he and the production team went about realistically recreating the disaster:

During September 11, there were some incredibly powerful telephone interviews from eyewitnesses right at the centre of the disaster on both TV and radio. They are the simplest way for a rolling news channel to keep their audience up to date – but they offer an incredible immediacy. [...] For the aftermath of the collision, we focused on just a few streets, placing a specially constructed fuselage at the end of a narrow terraced street. Using a combination of home video, fire service video and news footage, we were able to recreate the chaos that would follow such a disaster. But the key to creating an impression of scale was the combination of our own footage with carefully chosen archive and computer-generated images.[3]

Reception

Radio Times called the film: "Scarily realistic  ... so plausibly done that it should really have a warning flash in the corner of the screen saying 'fiction' in big red letters. ... It works as a smart riveting drama and also as a warning of the power of the financial markets".[4] A reviewer in The Guardian wrote that it was " an excellent and horrible film ... Indeed, if there was anything that betrayed the fictional nature of The Day Britain Stopped, it was its craftedness and lack of sensationalism."[5]

In response to the programme's original broadcast, the following statement was issued by National Air Traffic Services:

National Air Traffic Services believes that this programme not only fails to portray standard operational procedures accurately, but in doing so, paints an unfair and misleading picture of UK air traffic operations. In particular, there is no mention that the two aircraft involved in this fictitious incident would have been fitted with on-board collision avoidance systems which, combined with air traffic control's Conflict Alert system, would have prevented the 'accident'. Furthermore, the programme inaccurately portrays Heathrow's standard go-around procedures and the way air traffic controllers at Heathrow communicate with each other and with the West Drayton unit. The programme takes insufficient account of the traffic flow management procedures and ground movement radar systems, and inaccurately portrays the context in which airspace sectors are combined. This programme presents itself as dramatised documentary. However, it is not only based on a highly unlikely scenario, but deliberately ignores – or misrepresents – almost every standard safety system or procedure currently in use. NATA keeps these procedures under constant review and, as a consequence, the UK has maintained its exemplary air safety record despite rising levels of traffic. In our view, this programme is highly inaccurate and needlessly alarmist.[6]

Projected studio version

In 2012, Ridley Scott and Steve Zaillian planned to make a film inspired by The Day Britain Stopped at 20th Century Fox.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c "The Day Britain Stopped (2003)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 16 July 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  2. ^ "Programme Timeline: The Day Britain Stopped". BBC. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  3. ^ "Recreate Chaos". BBC. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  4. ^ "The Day Britain Stopped". Wall to Wall. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  5. ^ Gareth McLean (14 May 2003). "Last night's TV". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  6. ^ "Statement from National Air Traffic Services". Retrieved 20 August 2021 – via BBC.
  7. ^ Tatiana Siegel (26 July 2012). "Ridley Scott and Steve Zaillian Team for Disaster Pic (Exclusive)". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
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