Character Relationship Map: Official Secrets

Characters

• Katharine Gun (played by Keira Knightley) — protagonist

  Katharine is a GCHQ analyst who discovers a memo describing an operation to pressure United Nations diplomats over the Iraq invasion. Angered by the prospect of an unlawful war, she leaks it, confesse...

• Martin Bright (played by Matt Smith) — protagonist

  Martin is an Observer journalist who investigates the leaked memo after receiving it through the anti-war movement. He works with Peter Beaumont and Ed Vulliamy to verify its authenticity, helps expos...

• Ben Emmerson (played by Ralph Fiennes) — supporting

  Ben is a Liberty lawyer who defends Katharine after she is charged under the Official Secrets Act. Working with Shami Chakrabarti, Martin, Ed, and Elizabeth Wilmshurst, he develops the argument that t...

• Yasar Gun (played by Adam Bakri) — supporting

  Yasar is Katharine's husband, whose status becomes a pressure point after the British authorities attempt to deport him while Katharine faces prosecution. His threatened deportation intensifies the pe...

• Peter Beaumont (played by Matthew Goode) — supporting

  Peter is the Observer's foreign editor who gives Martin permission to investigate the leaked memo. Although the newspaper has a pro-war stance, he persuades Roger Alton that the document is credible a...

• Nigel Jones (played by Chris Larkin) — minor
• Ed Vulliamy (played by Rhys Ifans) — supporting

  Ed is the Observer's Washington correspondent, recruited by Martin to verify the leaked memo. He contacts Frank Koza, the memo's stated author at the NSA, and later helps Martin and Ben uncover eviden...

• Elizabeth Wilmshurst (played by Tamsin Greig) — minor
• Yvonne Ridley (played by Hattie Morahan) — minor
• Shami Chakrabarti (played by Indira Varma) — supporting

  Shami is a Liberty lawyer who works with Ben Emmerson after Katharine is charged under the Official Secrets Act. She is part of Katharine's legal team, helping challenge the prosecution and support th...

• Roger Alton (played by Conleth Hill) — supporting

  Roger is the Observer's chief editor. Peter Beaumont convinces him that the leaked memo is worth publishing despite the newspaper's pro-war position, allowing Martin's investigation and the authentica...

• Nicole Mowbray (played by Hanako Footman) — cameo
• Ken MacDonald (played by Jeremy Northam) — cameo

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Katharine Gun → Shami Chakrabarti (Professional Legal Supporter) — Shami supports Katharine's defence as part of the Liberty legal team.

  Katharine seeks the services of the Liberty lawyers Ben Emmerson and Shami Chakrabarti.

• Katharine Gun → Ben Emmerson (Professional Defence Counsel) — Ben leads Katharine's legal defence against the government's prosecution.

  After being charged under the Official Secrets Act, Katharine seeks the services of Liberty lawyer Ben Emmerson.

• Roger Alton → Martin Bright (Power Senior Editor) — Roger occupies the senior editorial position over Martin's reporting process.

  Roger Alton is identified as The Observer's chief editor, while Martin Bright investigates and reports the story for the newspaper.

• Peter Beaumont → Roger Alton (Professional Editorial Colleague) — Peter persuades Roger to support publication of the controversial investigation.

  Peter convinces chief editor Roger Alton that the leaked memo is worth publishing despite the newspaper's pro-war stance.

• Martin Bright → Peter Beaumont (Professional Editor And Reporter) — Peter authorizes and supervises Martin's reporting on the leaked memo.

  Peter Beaumont, The Observer foreign editor, allows Martin to investigate the story.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Ben Emmerson → Ken MacDonald (Conflict Opposing Counsel) — Ben and Ken stand on opposite sides of Katharine's criminal case.

  Ben defends Katharine while Ken Macdonald is tasked with prosecuting her under the Official Secrets Act.

• Katharine Gun → Ken MacDonald (Conflict Prosecutor And Defendant) — Ken represents the prosecution that places Katharine on trial.

  The government tasks Director of Public Prosecutions Ken Macdonald with prosecuting Katharine for violating the Official Secrets Act.

• Katharine Gun → Nigel Jones (Alliance Political Supporter) — Nigel uses his parliamentary role to help protect Katharine's family.

  Katharine is able to halt Yasar's deportation with the help of her MP, Nigel Jones.

• Katharine Gun → Elizabeth Wilmshurst (Alliance Defence Supporter) — Elizabeth indirectly strengthens Katharine's legal case.

  Elizabeth helps Ben uncover the Attorney General's changed position, which supports Katharine's defence.

• Ben Emmerson → Elizabeth Wilmshurst (Alliance Legal Collaborator) — Elizabeth provides legal and institutional insight to Ben's defence team.

  Ben discovers the change in the Attorney General's position with help from former Foreign Office deputy legal adviser Elizabeth Wilmshurst.

• Ben Emmerson → Ed Vulliamy (Alliance Evidence Collaborator) — Ed contributes to the evidence-gathering effort supporting Ben's defence.

  Ben's discovery concerning the Attorney General is made with help from Martin, Ed, and Elizabeth.

• Ben Emmerson → Martin Bright (Alliance Investigative Collaborator) — Ben uses Martin's reporting and evidence to develop the defence strategy.

  With help from Martin, Ed, and Elizabeth, Ben discovers that the Attorney General changed his position on the legality of the war.

• Ben Emmerson → Shami Chakrabarti (Alliance Legal Colleague) — Ben and Shami work within the same legal defence effort.

  The plot explicitly identifies Ben and Shami as Liberty lawyers serving Katharine's case.

• Martin Bright → Nicole Mowbray (Conflict Document Verification Counterpart) — Nicole's inadvertent alteration creates an authenticity problem that Martin must overcome.

  Nicole Mowbray inadvertently changes the memo from American to British English with a spellchecker, while Martin later produces the original memo to c...

• Martin Bright → Ed Vulliamy (Alliance Reporting Partner) — Martin and Ed collaborate to authenticate the leaked document.

  Martin enlists The Observer's Washington correspondent Ed Vulliamy to contact the memo's author and verify its authenticity.

Story Analysis

A government analyst risks prosecution to expose secret efforts to manipulate the United Nations toward the Iraq War.

Plot Progression

1. A Memo Against War — Katharine Gun discovers a secret request to spy on United Nations diplomats. Angered by the prospect of war on false pretences, she allows the memo to reach anti-war activists.
2. The Story Reaches Print — Yvonne Ridley passes the document to Martin Bright, who investigates it with Ed Vulliamy. Peter Beaumont and Roger Alton ultimately approve publication despite The Observer's pro-war stance.
3. Truth Under Suspicion — The published memo generates major public interest and is attacked as a fake. Martin produces the original document, while GCHQ begins searching for the leaker.
4. The State Strikes Back — Katharine confesses to protect colleagues, is arrested, and later faces prosecution under the Official Secrets Act. Authorities also attempt to deport her husband Yasar.
5. The Defence Holds Firm — Ben Emmerson and Shami Chakrabarti build Katharine's defence with help from Martin, Ed, and Elizabeth Wilmshurst. Katharine refuses a guilty plea and the Crown ultimately offers no evidence.