Lee Hall and director Ivo van Hove bring Chayefsky’s masterwork Network to the stage for the first time, starring Bryan Cranston.

Howard Beale, news anchor-man, isn’t pulling in the viewers. In his final broadcast he unravels live on screen.

But when the ratings soar, the network seizes on their new found populist prophet, and Howard becomes the biggest thing on TV.

Network depicts a dystopian media landscape where opinion trumps fact. Hilarious and horrifying by turns, the iconic film by Paddy Chayefsky won four Academy Awards in 1976.

Now, Hall (Billy Elliot, Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour) and director van Hove (Hedda Gabler) are staging the story, with Cranston (All The Way, for which he won the Tony for Best Actor, Breaking Bad and Trumbo for which he was nominated for an Oscar) in the role of Howard Beale. Michelle Dockery and Douglas Henshall co-star.

The show will play in the Lyttelton Theatre. Some audiences will even see the show from a completely unique perspective – on-stage – in an immersive dining experience.

Please note Network contains adult themes, loud noises, flashing lights and scenes of a violent nature, including graphic video footage.

Dramas have a rich history in the West End; find out more about plays in London.