Suranne Jones has been widely praised for her portrayal of a British Prime Minister in Netflix’s Hostage, though filming was briefly halted when Boris Johnson crashed the set dressed as a hostage negotiator, brandishing a flamethrower and demanding “total sovereignty over catering”.
The former Prime Minister reportedly mistook the high-octane political thriller for a live exercise and arrived on location in a zipline harness, shouting, “I’ve come to rescue democracy!” before setting fire to a trailer full of wigs.
Jones, a Middleton native who previously played characters with names like “Detective Slapface” and “Dr Emotionally Scarred”, was said to be “composed and professional” throughout, even as Johnson attempted to negotiate with a lighting technician he thought was Emmanuel Macron.
Netflix sources confirmed the incident will not appear in the final cut of Hostage, though Johnson has since demanded royalties, a directorial credit, and a peerage.
“The man turned up wearing two ties, a stab vest and what we now believe was his ex-wife’s dressing gown,” said an anonymous crew member. “We tried to explain it was fiction. He shouted ‘So was Brexit!’ and then barricaded himself inside a Porta Potty with six Pret sandwiches and a Churchill biography.”
Writer Matt Charman admitted Johnson was not originally part of the script but said his actions were “unironically more coherent than most of the third act”.
In the actual show, Jones plays a beleaguered PM forced to choose between saving her kidnapped husband and stopping an international conspiracy. “It’s not based on a true story,” she clarified, “though it did feel eerily like the 2019 Conservative Party conference.”
Middleton locals reacted with cautious optimism. “We’re proud of Suranne,” said one resident. “She’s the first person from around here to become Prime Minister without burning down a Travelodge or starting a pyramid scheme involving e-scooters.”
The show premieres Thursday. Johnson is now believed to be hiding in a disused BBC prop cupboard, communicating only in Latin and auditioning himself for The Crown Series 7 by yelling “It’s coming home!” at a corgi.
