Secret State (Channel 4, 2012)

Disclosure:  I've had a crush on Gabriel Byrne for as long as I can remember.  Part of it is the Irish brogue.  Another part is that, no matter how shitty the material, he's been believable and watchable every time.

In Secret State, Byrne plays a national leader reluctant to do battle, but when required to do so, does so with heart and conviction.  Charles Dance is in it, too, in a nice role.  I don't want to say any more - I enjoyed this mini-series immensely, so much I might even watch it again.  So what if it was a little hard to believe Byrne's character being involved in the shenanigans of the series' plot, or that the dialogue was sometimes a bit on-the-nose, or that the cast of characters was so big as to make me spend crucial seconds at the head of some scenes trying to figure out who the hell was talking.

If you're a fan of Dave, you enjoyed the class of Bletchley Circle, and you fancy yourself a closet political pundit, Secret State is highly recommended.