BBC News and Drama unite for Iraq series

The BBC will mark five years since the invasion of Iraq with a major news-drama tie-in series.

10 Days To War will star Kenneth Branagh, Harriet Walter, Art Malik and Toby Jones and air first during Newsnight.

It is being developed under the corporation's Think Big banner, which promotes multi-platform projects, and will go to the iPlayer, BBC Drama online, the BBC's YouTube channel and BBC Four.

The 10-12 minute films will first be broadcast between March 10 and 19 during Newsnight's regular 10.30pm BBC Two slot. They will depict the events that happened on the same day five years ago in the run-up to the war.

The BBC said the series would "paint a portrait of the behind-the-scenes struggle to unite the contradictory politics and personalities of a highly controversial period of recent history".

They have been written by Ronan Bennett (The Hamburg Cell) and are executive produced by Colin Barr (The Secretary Who Stole £4 million).

BBC Two controller Roly Keating commented: "This is a challenging and original way of exploring one of the most controversial moments in recent British history."

Newsnight editor Peter Barron added: "This dramatisation gives us the opportunity to explore the issues and arguments in a way traditional documentary couldn't. We then plan to question the real players about the events of 2003 on Newsnight."

Filming is currently underway in Jordan.