Dramatising the Hutton inquiry

Like those that preceded it - The Colour Of Justice; Srebrenica etc - Justifying War reconstructs the scenes that took place in the Royal Courts of Justice, using evidence adapted directly from the testimonies of 12 witnesses, from Susan Watts to Geoff Hoon, with Tony Blair an unexplained absence.

The lines between theatre and real life are intriguingly blurred in public inquiries such as this. Norton-Taylor's dramatisation certainly has comedy (the incisive casting of Alistair Campbell, Geoff Hoon and Andrew Gilligan), while the tragedy is obvious - and movingly expressed in Jane Kelly's witness statement. Its power lies in the way it throws into focus the Machiavellian roles of the Hutton inquiry's diverse and significant cast.

But as the sly title indicates, Justifying War derives its biggest dramatic impetus from the urgent issue of our involvement in Iraq - an issue that may not be at the absolute centre of the actual inquiry but remains a vital unanswered question.

Justifying War