New Six-Part Political Drama COBRA Premieres Sunday, October 4 on PBS

COBRA Tells the Story of a Nation in Crisis, and the Political and Personal Lives of its Leaders

ARLINGTON, VA; September 15, 2020 - COBRA, a new drama which follows the British Prime Minister and his emergency committee as they navigate a major crisis and its political and personal fallout, will premiere on PBS stations Sunday, October 4 at 10:00 p.m. ET (check local listings). The six-part series joins PBS's robust Sunday night drama lineup and will also stream nationally on pbs.org and the PBS Video App. The trailer can be found here.

Written by acclaimed screenwriter Ben Richards (THE TUNNEL) and directed by Hans Herbots (RIVIERA)and Al Mackay (HUMANS), COBRA features a talented cast led by Robert Carlyle (ONCE UPON A TIME), Victoria Hamilton (THE CROWN), Richard Dormer (GAME OF THRONES), David Haig (KILLING EVE) and Lucy Cohu (RIPPER STREET).

COBRA is a clever and action-packed political drama and a deeply human story of a nation and its leaders in crisis - a tale that is increasingly relevant to the world we live in today.

On the brink of a geomagnetic solar storm, a team comprised of Britain's leading experts, crisis contingency planners and the most senior politicians assemble under the name COBRA (taken from its meeting place in Whitehall's Cabinet Office Briefing Room A) to guide the country through turbulent times. The high-stakes series follows the members of this team as they take on the disaster; their missteps, political conflicts, personal drama, friendships and wit play out against the backdrop of an unfolding national crisis.

Prime Minister Robert Sutherland (Carlyle) must navigate the crisis while attempting to maintain control of his cabinet in slippery political circumstances. Accompanied by Anna Marshall (Hamilton) - his brilliant and quick-thinking chief of staff and longtime friend - Sutherland braces for the fallout of a major national disaster, as well as complications in his personal life that threaten his political standing.

Also on the COBRA team is Fraser Walker (Dormer), one of the country's leading crisis contingency planners, who is not as adept at overcoming problems in his personal life as he is in his political life. The most argumentative and calculating member of the team, Home Secretary Archie Glover-Morgan (Haig), looks to seize any opportunity for more power that presents itself.

The series will simultaneously stream with each broadcast starting Sunday, October 4 and will be available for two weeks on all station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS Video App, available on iOS, Android, Roku streaming devices, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung Smart TV and Chromecast. PBS station members can binge the full series via PBS Passport starting the night of the broadcast premiere. For more information about PBS Passport, visit the PBS Passport FAQ website.

COBRA will be available on DVD from PBS Distribution and can be purchased at ShopPBS.org. The series will also be available for digital download via Amazon Prime Video.

COBRA is a Sky Original drama, produced by New Pictures and co-funded by Sky Studios. Executive producers for COBRA include Charlie Pattinson, Ben Richards, Jonathan Young and Nicola Larder. The commissioning editor for Sky is Gabriel Silver. COBRA is distributed by NBCUniversal Global Distribution on behalf of Sky Studios.

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About NBCUniversal Global Distribution

NBCUniversal Global Distribution is responsible for the licensing and distribution of NBCUniversal product to all forms of television and new media platforms in the U.S., Canada and in over 200 territories internationally. NBCUniversal's content portfolio includes a vast and diverse library of more than 4,500 feature films and 120,000 television episodes, including current and classic titles, non-scripted programming, kids, sports, news, long-form and short-form programming from Universal Pictures, Focus Features, Universal Television, UCP, NBCUniversal International Studios, Sky Studios, NBC Late Night properties, DreamWorks Animation, Telemundo, and more, as well as locally produced content from around the world. Global Distribution is a division of Comcast NBCUniversal.

About Sky Studios

Sky Studios brings to screen unique stories from the very best talent in Europe. Sky Studios develops, produces and funds original drama, comedy and documentary for Sky's 24m customers and beyond. Building on the success of critically-acclaimed Sky originals, including Emmy-winning "Chernobyl," Bafta-winning "Patrick Melrose" and international hits "Babylon Berlin" and "Riviera," Sky Studios is the new creative home of Sky originals, such as "The Third Day" with Jude Law, "ZeroZeroZero" from the makers of "Gomorrah" and "The New Pope" directed by Academy Award-winning director Paolo Sorrentino. Sky Studios is an agile Studio, seeking out the best untold stories from new voices while working in creative partnership with today's best writers, producers and on-screen talent to bring viewers stories they wouldn't find anywhere else. With commissioning talent and production capability across the UK, Germany and Italy, Sky Studios understands local tastes across Europe better than anyone else and have plans to more than double its investment in original content by 2024, fully supported and backed by Comcast NBCUniversal. Sky Studios is also developing a new TV and movie studio, Sky Studios Elstree, which is expected to lead to the creation of over 2,000 new jobs and generate an additional £3 billion of production investment in UK creative sector in the first five years alone. Sky Studios invests in the cultural economy and global production sector with equity stakes in nine production companies in the UK and the US, including "Great British Bake-Off" creator Love Productions, and the premiere reality crime producer in the US, Jupiter Entertainment, creator of long-running hit "Snapped." Sky Studios has invested in high quality factual specialists Blast Films and True North Productions; entertainment and format expert Znak & Co (US & UK); natural history producer True to Nature; drama producers The Lighthouse and Longboat Pictures; and growth businesses Sugar Films, Chrysalis Vision, and Talos Films (US). Sky Studios launched in June 2019. The senior leadership team is Chief Executive Officer Gary Davey, Chief Content Officer Jane Millichip, Chief Operating Officer Caroline Cooper, Director of Drama UK Cameron Roach, Director of Comedy UK Jon Mountague, Director Original Production Sky Italia Nils Hartmann, and Director Original Productions Sky Deutschland Marcus Ammon.

About New Pictures

New Pictures was established by Charlie Pattinson, Elaine Pyke, Willow Grylls and Richard Nelson in 2013 to produce high quality television drama for the UK and International markets. In its early years of operation New Pictures produced two seasons of the critically acclaimed "The Missing" for BBC One & Starz, and two series of "Indian Summers" for Channel 4 & WGBH. More recent productions have included "Rellik," a crime thriller for BBC One & Cinemax, "Requiem," a supernatural thriller for BBC One & Netflix, "The Innocents," a shape-shifting love story for Netflix Originals, "Catherine the Great,", a sweeping historical epic based on the life of Catherine II, Empress of Russia and starring Helen Mirren and Jason Clarke for Sky & HBO. New Pictures is currently in production on two major drama series for broadcast in 2020, including "The Spanish Princess,", the third instalment in a series of adaptations of the bestselling Philippa Gregory books for Starz and DES, a three part drama based on crimes and trial of serial killer Dennis Nilsen for ITV.

About PBS

PBS, with more than 330 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and digital content. Each month, PBS reaches over 120 million people through television and 26 million people online, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature and public affairs; to hear diverse viewpoints; and to take front row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS' broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry's most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. Decades of research confirms that PBS' premier children's media service, PBS KIDS, helps children build critical literacy, math and social-emotional skills, enabling them to find success in school and life. Delivered through member stations, PBS KIDS offers high-quality educational content on TV - including a 24/7 channel, online at pbskids.org, via an array of mobile apps and in communities across America. More information about PBS is available at www.pbs.org, one of the leading dot-org websites on the internet, or by following PBS on Twitter, Facebook or through our apps for mobile and connected devices. Specific program information and updates for press are available at pbs.org/pressroom or by following PBS Pressroom on Twitter.