Overview
- The War Game is now streaming free on BBC iPlayer, listed as available until July 2026, and can be purchased on Amazon Prime Video for £5.99.
- The BBC withheld the film from television in 1965, calling it "too horrifying for the medium of broadcasting," and it finally aired on 31 July 1985.
- Written and directed by Peter Watkins for the BBC, the pseudo-documentary depicts a fictional nuclear strike on Britain and its brutal aftermath.
- After being barred from TV, it premiered at London’s National Film Theatre on 13 April 1966 and toured festivals, including Venice, where it won the Special Prize.
- The film went on to win the 1967 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, earned two BAFTAs and the UN Award, and holds a 93% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.