An unreliable history: When Winston Went to War with the Wireless, at the Donmar, reviewed

When Winston Went to War with the Wireless is the clumsy and misleading title of a new play about John Reith’s stewardship of the BBC during the 1926 general strike. Churchill, chancellor at the time, has a minor role as an irascible plodder who makes jokes without a punchline. His role is intended to foreshadow Boris’s career and the characters keep mentioning the gold standard and its damaging effects on Britain’s economy. Gold standard is code for Brexit, of course.

The real subject, John Reith, is played by Stephen Campbell Moore who runs the BBC like a YouTube channel. It’s a solo effort, apparently. Reith writes and presents the news programmes and invites musicians and comic collaborators to play the odd gig. Most of his days are spent fighting off bothersome government wonks who try to censor his output.