At least sneerfest Boris drama gets the make-up right

IT has had, it’s fair to say, a less than rapturous reception – even though it’s not yet released.

TV series This England has been lambasted by critics for its takedown of Boris Johnson as he led the country through the Covid pandemic.

But pictures of Sky’s show reveal that it got one thing spot on: the make-up. The former PM is barely distinguishable from Sir Kenneth Branagh, who wore a fat suit for the role and spent two hours being transformed by make-up artists on each day of filming.

The actor, 61, had 42 complex prosthetic faces made for him in total. Make- up artist Vanessa White said: ‘There are so many pieces on [Sir Kenneth]. The only thing you see of Ken is his eyes and his chin, the rest is fake... We had to tape him in, literally tape up the back of his neck, his head.’

She said she thinks Mr Johnson would be ‘ pleased’ with the portrayal. Other characters sure to trick the eye include former chancellor Rishi Sunak, played by Shri Patel, who chopped off his long locks for the role, and former top aide Dominic Cummings, played by Simon Paisley Day. Exhealth secretary Matt Hancock was portrayed by Andrew Buchan.

The six-part series, which dramatises Mr Johnson’s government during the pandemic, starts on Wednesday on Sky Atlantic.

RISHI Strikingly similar: Shri Patel, left, and Rishi Sunak

HANCOCK True blue: Andrew Buchan, left, and Matt Hancock

CUMMINGS Snap! Simon Paisley Day, left, and Dom Cummings

Familiar pose: Kenneth Branagh as Boris Johnson, left, in This England