The series depicts the final television interview of soon-to-be-outgoing Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and journalist Brian Walden which took place in 1989, and from which their friendship never recovered.
It is directed by Stephen Frears and written by James Graham, with Steve Coogan as television interviewer Brian Walden and Harriet Walter as former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher.
Reviewing the programme for The Guardian, Lucy Mangan awarded Brian and Maggie three stars out of five, observing that while interesting, "in trying to do so much, it does – as you might expect – none of it quite well enough", adding that the original interview itself "does not have iconic cultural status.
"[10] Rachel Cooke of The New Statesman described the show as "hugely provocative and a touch melancholy" and praised the cast's performances,[11] while the Evening Standard's Martin Robinson hailed Coogan and Walter's "captivating" performances but said that the programme overall lacked tension, giving it three stars out of five.
[12] Nick Hilton of The Independent was more positive, awarding it four stars out of five and describing it as "effectively polemical", also highlighting the "loving attention to period detail.