According to Churchill's own memoirs, this was never an option — an "unreal, academic issue". But it surely was one in the minds of Halifax and Chamberlain, and the drama explores the deliberations and politicking of the days that shaped Britain and Europe's future.

In Alan Strachan's production,  a rumpled Warren Clarke as the great man errs on the side of caricature, a less lovable rendition than Timothy Spall in The King's Speech, but intense, emotional and credible. Halifax (Jeremy Clyde) is a smooth British brahmin, representative of realpolitik against gut instinct. 

Alas, I didn't think much of the writing, which seems to rely on American tourists being impressed by lines like: "We are in the tightest corner since 1066." There's one priceless moment when an uncomprehending Halifax frets about how the women and children will fare if Churchill gets his way and Britain fights to the last bullet. "They'll use kitchen knives or something like that," raps the PM.

It's not helped by a lack of tension — we know that Halifax won't get his way — but it never feels as if this was really an option anyway. Jock Colville (James Alper) is the dapper aide chirpily recording events and pouring a lot of whisky while Europe trembles. If the historical drama fails to fascinate, the focus on choices about what sort of Europe we want to live in, and the shaky borderline between the feasible and the desirable, are as pertinent as ever. It's just that we lack a Churchill to ensure that, in the end, it comes out right.