Danny Dyer and David Morrissey lead thrilling retelling of 1980 Iranian embassy siege - cast & plot
Danny Dyer and David Morrissey lead a thrilling new series about the 1980 Iranian embassy siege, as Channel 4 brings Ben Macintyre's book to life.
David Morrissey, Danny Dyer and Motaz Malhees are set to star in a ‘gripping’ new historical thriller.
Adapted from Ben Macintyre’s best-selling book by three-time Emmy and WGA award-winning Will Smith, The Siege has been commissioned by Channel 4, telling the story of the 1980 Iranian embassy siege in London.


Described as a “heart-in-mouth story”, the six-part limited series will bring audiences the definitive account of a pivotal moment in history, when Britain and the world held its breath.
Channel 4 The Siege plot
On April 30, 1980, six armed Arab Iranian separatists burst into the Iranian embassy in London, taking hostage the 26 people inside, demanding autonomy for their people.
Over the next six days, the gunmen, the hostages and the police struggled with each other for control of the situation while the soldiers of the SAS mounted plans for a daring mission to break the siege that would be witnessed by the watching world.
Channel 4 The Siege cast
- Danny Dyer
- David Morrissey
- Motaz Malhees
- Leo Bill
- Kevin Doyle
- Alex Jennings
- Alexej Manvelov
- Sara Shirpey
- Omid Djalili
- Nicola Stephenson
- Stephen Campbell Moore
- Sean Pertwee
- Enzo Cilenti
- Sam Troughton
- Iddo Goldberg
- Armin Karim
- Asim Chaudhry
- Moe Bar-El
- Kavé Niku
- Nina Mahdavi
- Catayoune Ahmadi
- Lorne MacFadyen
- Aneurin Barnard
- Mark Bonnar
- Gwilym Lee
Alexandre Piel, Deputy Head of Drama, ARTE France said: “The Siege is our first coproduction with UK, and we are truly honoured to be associated with Channel 4 on this fantastic project. Will Smith is a brilliant author; his adaptation of Ben Macintyre's novel masterfully blends a gripping thriller with the emotional depth of this tragic event.
“He made it an intense, moving, and funny story all at once. It has been wonderful to stand at Patrick Spence’s side in his adventure.
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“It’s a unique opportunity, the one that allows you to witness the unfolding of a historical moment turning into disaster in front of the whole world. And we are also more than happy that this project enables us to have worked for the first time with the esteemed Channel 4 team.”
The Siege will be globally distributed by NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution. A release date has not yet been confirmed.
