''House of Saddam'' is a 2008 British

docudrama Docudrama (or documentary drama) is a genre of television and film, which features dramatized re-enactments of actual events. It is described as a hybrid of documentary and drama and "a fact-based representation of real event". Docudramas typic ...

television miniseries that charted the rise and fall of

Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein ( ; ar, صدام حسين, Ṣaddām Ḥusayn; 28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003. A leading member of the revolutio ...

. A co-production between

BBC Television BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 193 ...

and

HBO Films HBO Films (formerly called HBO Premiere Films and HBO Pictures) is an American production and distribution company, a division of the cable television network HBO that produces feature films and miniseries. The division produces fiction and non- ...

, the series was first broadcast on BBC Two (in the United Kingdom) in four parts between 30 July and 20 August 2008.

Episodes

Part I

A pre-title sequence is set in March 2003, showing

watching the broadcast of U.S. President George W. Bush's ultimatum to leave

Ba'athist Iraq Ba'athist Iraq, formally the Iraqi Republic until 6 January 1992 and the Republic of Iraq thereafter, covers the History of Iraq, national history of Iraq between 1968 and 2003 under the rule of the Ba'ath Party (Iraqi-dominated faction), Arab S ...

within forty-eight hours. As the bombing of

Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...

commences, Saddam and his family flee the Presidential Palace. 1979: Shortly after the

Iranian Revolution The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dyna ...

, Iraqi Vice President Saddam Hussein fears the increasing influence of the

Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini Ruhollah Khomeini, Ayatollah Khomeini, Imam Khomeini ( , ; ; 17 May 1900 – 3 June 1989) was an Iranian political and religious leader who served as the first supreme leader of Iran from 1979 until his death in 1989. He was the founder of ...

, as well as Iraqi president Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr's proposed union with

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

. Saddam instigates the overthrow of President Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr. After being appointed president, Saddam orders his half-brother,

Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti Barzan Ibrahim Hassan al-Tikriti (17 February 1951 – 15 January 2007) ( ar, برزان إبراهيم الحسن التكريتي), also known as Barazan Ibrahim al-Tikriti, Barasan Ibrahem Alhassen and Barzan Hassan, was one of three half-bro ...

, to initiate a bloody purge of the

Ba'ath Party The Arab Socialist Baʿath Party ( ar, حزب البعث العربي الاشتراكي ' ) was a political party founded in Syria by Mishel ʿAflaq, Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn al-Bītār, and associates of Zaki al-ʾArsūzī. The party espoused ...

leadership in order to wipe out "traitors". Saddam himself executes his closest friend and ally, Adnan Hamdani, as a show of strength. The

Islamic Dawa Party The Islamic Dawa Party, also known as the Islamic Call Party ( ar, حزب الدعوة الإسلامية, Ḥizb ad-Daʿwa al-Islāmiyya), is an Shia Islamist political party in Iraq. Dawa and the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council are two of the ...

rocks Baghdad with a series of terrorist attacks while Saddam is on a hunting trip in

Tikrit Tikrit ( ar, تِكْرِيت ''Tikrīt'' , Syriac: ܬܲܓܪܝܼܬܼ ''Tagrīṯ'') is a city in Iraq, located northwest of Baghdad and southeast of Mosul on the Tigris River. It is the administrative center of the Saladin Governorate. , it h ...

with his wife Sajida Talfah and son

Uday Uday or Odai is a masculine name in Arabic as well as several Indian languages. In many Indian languages it means 'dawn' or 'rise'. The Arabic name (عدي) means 'runner' or 'rising'. List of people * Uday Benegal, Indian musician * Uday Pratap Si ...

. Saddam attempts to maintain good relations with the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

as he declares war on Iran while trying to maintain his relationship with his sons

(Aris Sahin) and

Qusay Qusay (also transliterated as Qusai, ar, قصي, ) is a masculine given name. It may refer to: People * Qusai Abu Alieh, Jordanian footballer * Qusai Abtini, Syrian child actor * Ahmed Kousay Altaie, Iraqi American United States Army soldier, capt ...

(played by Raed Khelfi). Meanwhile, he begins an affair with married

school teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

Samira Shahbandar Samira Shahbandar ( ar, سميرة الشابندر, born 1946) is an Iraqi former doctor and physician. She was the second wife of Saddam Hussein. Early life Shahbandar was born in Baghdad, Iraq in 1946. Shahbandar was born into an aristocra ...

. Saddam orders the execution of two Iraqi generals after a military defeat at

Khorramshahr Khorramshahr ( fa, خرمشهر , also romanized as ''Khurramshahr'', ar, المحمرة, romanized as ''Al-Muhammerah'') is a city and capital of Khorramshahr County, Khuzestan Province, Iran. At the 2016 census, its population was 170,976, ...

, and turns against Barzan following the death of their mother; this puts the

arranged marriage Arranged marriage is a type of marital union where the bride and groom are primarily selected by individuals other than the couple themselves, particularly by family members such as the parents. In some cultures a professional matchmaker may be us ...

of Raghad, Saddam's daughter, and Mohammed, Barzan's son, in jeopardy. After Saddam survives an assassination attempt in the Dawa stronghold of Dujail, Barzan fears for his own life and razes the city in retribution. Saddam exiles Barzan to

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

and marries Raghad to

Hussein Kamel al-Majid Colonel General Hussein Kamel Hassan al-Majid ( ar, حسين كامل حسن المجيد) ( 1954 – 23 February 1996) was the son-in-law and second cousin of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. He defected to Jordan and assisted United Nations S ...

, forming an alliance with the al-Majid clan. Hussein Kamel takes over Barzan's post and becomes the new leader of the Special Republican Guard.

Part II

1988: As the war with Iran ends, an unstable Uday fires a gun in a Baghdad nightclub. Meanwhile, Saddam declares victory over Iran, even though Iraq has suffered heavy losses and is facing

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debto ...

; the Iraqi economy is also being hampered by

Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Ku ...

, which is over-producing oil and driving down its price. Sajida learns that Saddam has married Samira as a second wife, and blames his trusted

valet A valet or varlet is a male servant who serves as personal attendant to his employer. In the Middle Ages and Ancien Régime, valet de chambre was a role for junior courtiers and specialists such as artists in a royal court, but the term "valet ...

Kamel Hana Gegeo Kamel Hana Gegeo ( syr, ܟܐܡܠ ܗܢܐ ܓܐܓܘ; ar, كامل حنا ججو) (c. 1960s – 18 October 1988) was an Iraqi Assyrian bodyguard, valet, and food taster of Saddam Hussein. He was murdered by Uday Hussein at a party hosted by Hosni Mu ...

, for assisting their affair. Uday almost kills the valet for the sake of his mother's honour, sparing him only so that he can control him when he succeeds his father. Hussein Kamel attempts to rise within the regime's inner circle by sowing mistrust between Saddam and

Adnan Khairallah Adnan Khairallah ( ar, عدنان خير الله طلفاح, ʿAdnān Khayr Allāḥ; c. 1939 – 4 May 1989) was Saddam Hussein's brother-in-law (Sajida Talfah's brother and Khairallah Talfah's son) and cousin. He held several titles and was a ...

, Sajida's brother. Saddam's foreign minister,

Tariq Aziz Tariq Aziz ( ar, طارق عزيز , 28 April 1936 – 5 June 2015) was an Iraqi politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and a close advisor of President Saddam Hussein. Their association began in the 1950s w ...

, travels to an

OPEC The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC, ) is a cartel of countries. Founded on 14 September 1960 in Baghdad by the first five members (Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela), it has, since 1965, been headqua ...

meeting in

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Situa ...

and reveals that Kuwait has been slant drilling into Iraqi oil fields, demanding that the Kuwaitis cease. Saddam's new marriage to Samira leaves Uday fearful that the couple's presumptive children will jeopardize his status as Saddam's heir. Uday confronts Kamel Hana at a late-night party and beats him to death to the horror of witnesses. After having Uday arrested, Saddam ponders on killing his first-born son in his cell. Adnan Khairallah questions Uday's abilities as Iraq's future leader, but is not supported by Hussein Kamel, who continues to gain Saddam's trust. Not long after, Adnan is killed in a suspicious helicopter explosion. Sajida confronts Saddam about her brother's death, but he dismisses her with claims that it was merely an accident. 1990-1991: Saddam meets with

April Glaspie April Catherine Glaspie (born April 26, 1942) is an American former diplomat and senior member of the Foreign Service, best known for her role in the events leading up to the Gulf War. Early life Glaspie was born in Vancouver, British Col ...

, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, and takes her statement of "no opinion" as giving him tacit approval to invade Kuwait. However, President George H. W. Bush immediately decries the action and organizes an international coalition to drive out Saddam's forces. Saddam refuses to back down, and is forced to move between safe-houses as the

First Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...

commences with the U.S.-led bombing of Baghdad. Samira is seriously injured in a car accident during the bombings. The

Iraqi Army The Iraqi Ground Forces (Arabic: القوات البرية العراقية), or the Iraqi Army (Arabic: الجيش العراقي), is the ground force component of the Iraqi Armed Forces. It was known as the Royal Iraqi Army up until the coup ...

is quickly forced into retreat as the coalition unleashes its ground offensive. However, the U.S. declares a

ceasefire A ceasefire (also known as a truce or armistice), also spelled cease fire (the antonym of 'open fire'), is a temporary stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions. Ceasefires may be between state ac ...

and withdraws from the Iraqi border, leaving Saddam defiant as American bombers drop propaganda leaflets encouraging Iraqis to stand against him.

Part III

1995: The Gulf War has left Iraq economically crippled. The

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoni ...

refuses to lift sanctions unless the government agrees to dismantle Iraq's

weapons of mass destruction A weapon of mass destruction (WMD) is a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or any other weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to numerous individuals or cause great damage to artificial structures (e.g., buildings), natu ...

. Saddam states he has nothing to hide, resulting in a stand-off between him and the U.N.'s chief weapons inspector,

Rolf Ekeus Rolf is a male given name and a surname. It originates in the Germanic name ''Hrolf'', itself a contraction of ''Hrodwulf'' ( Rudolf), a conjunction of the stem words ''hrod'' ("renown") + ''wulf'' ("wolf"). The Old Norse cognate is ''Hrólfr''. A ...

. Saddam is more preoccupied with tracing his roots than with the U.N. stand-off, and ignores his other son,

, when he tries to warn his father about Uday's erratic behaviour. Instead, Saddam presents a

family tree A family tree, also called a genealogy or a pedigree chart, is a chart representing family relationships in a conventional tree structure. More detailed family trees, used in medicine and social work, are known as genograms. Representations ...

purportedly proving a familial relation to the

Islamic prophet Prophets in Islam ( ar, الأنبياء في الإسلام, translit=al-ʾAnbiyāʾ fī al-ʾIslām) are individuals in Islam who are believed to spread God's message on Earth and to serve as models of ideal human behaviour. Some prophets ar ...

Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mon ...

. Qusay is clearly worried about his father's state of mind, but quietly leaves him to his devices. The rivalry between General Hussein Kamel and Uday spirals out of control, as the heir apparent pelts the general with food at a dinner with Saddam's closest allies. The frustrated Hussein Kamel states his disillusionment with Saddam's regime, which allows the spoiled Uday to run wild with impunity. His patience finally ends when Uday hijacks a shipment of

medical supplies A medical device is any device intended to be used for medical purposes. Significant potential for hazards are inherent when using a device for medical purposes and thus medical devices must be proved safe and effective with reasonable assura ...

intended for Hussein Kamel's brother,

Saddam Kamel Saddam Kamel Hassan al-Majid ( ar, صدام كامل حسن المجيد; 1960 – 23 February 1996) was the second cousin and son-in-law of deposed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. He was also a part time actor. Biography He was married to Ra ...

. The brothers discuss Hussein Kamel's plan to cooperate with Ekeus and the

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...

, hoping that he will be installed as Iraq's new president after Saddam is overthrown. During a holiday celebrating Iraq's "victory" over Iran, the Kamel brothers cross the border to

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

with their wives, Raghad and Rana Hussein. The women, Saddam's daughters, warn their husbands of the potential consequences should Saddam discover their absences. Meanwhile, at a holiday party, Uday rapes a waitress. Qusay realises that his sisters are missing and notifies Saddam. In Jordan,

King Hussein Hussein bin Talal ( ar, الحسين بن طلال, ''Al-Ḥusayn ibn Ṭalāl''; 14 November 1935 – 7 February 1999) was King of Jordan from 11 August 1952 until his death in 1999. As a member of the Hashemite dynasty, the royal family o ...

grants the self-exiled group asylum just as Saddam declares them traitors in Iraq. Hussein Kamel plans to oust Saddam with Western support, and to reveal state secrets once installed as president. His plans are undermined when Saddam decides to reveal the information himself. Kamel becomes increasingly isolated in Jordan, and begins to lose the support of the

king King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen regnant, queen, which title is also given to the queen consort, consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contempora ...

and the CIA. Saddam has Sajida talk their daughters into coming back to Iraq, promising her that they will be safe upon their return. He also offers a

pardon A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the j ...

to the Kamel brothers. Believing he will be forgiven, and disturbed by his increasing loss of

social status Social status is the level of social value a person is considered to possess. More specifically, it refers to the relative level of respect, honour, assumed competence, and deference accorded to people, groups, and organizations in a society. St ...

, Hussein Kamel and the others return despite warnings from Raghad and Rana. Once they return to Baghdad, Hussein and Saddam Kamel are humiliated by Uday and Qusay, who force them to divorce their wives and strip them of their Iraqi uniforms and ranks. However, they allow them to return to their family home, while Raghad and Rana go to their mother's house. Saddam Hussein then tells General

Ali Hassan al-Majid Ali Hassan Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti ( ar, علي حسن عبد المجيد التكريت, ʿAlī Ḥasan ʿAbd al-Majīd al-Tikrītī; 30 November 1941 – 25 January 2010), nicknamed Chemical Ali ( ar, علي الكيمياوي, ʿAlī al-Kīm ...

that the honor of the al-Majid clan will be tainted as long as the pair go unpunished. Ali subsequently surrounds the brothers' house with troops, offering the brothers weapons so that they can die fighting. In a pitched battle, Hussein and Saddam Kamel are killed.

Part IV

2003: Saddam, along with Uday, Qusay and Aziz, watch television reports of the unfolding Second Gulf War. Qusay seizes Saddam's money from the

Central Bank of Iraq The Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) ( ar, البنك المركزي العراقي) is the central bank of Iraq. It was established in 1947, the same year in which the British occupation of Iraq was ended. CBI's primary objectives are to ensure domestic ...

on his father's orders. Meanwhile, Saddam orders his troops, particularly those from the Special Republican Guard, to fiercely resist the U.S.-led coalition forces. During a meeting with his sons in a Baghdad restaurant, Saddam advises Qusay to take care of Uday, who is commanding the

Fedayeen Saddam Fedayeen Saddam () was a paramilitary Fedayeen organization loyal to the Ba'athist Iraqi government of Saddam Hussein. The name was chosen to mean "Saddam's Men of Sacrifice". At its height, the group had 30,000–40,000 members. Irregular force ...

paramilitary force. On 9 April, Saddam is forced from power as U.S. forces take over Baghdad. As U.S. troops begin manhunts for all the high-ranking regime members, Saddam flees to rural

and goes underground with his loyal confidants. He phones Samira from a

call box A call box or callbox is a (usually metal) box containing a special-purpose direct line telephone or other telecommunications device which has been used by various industries and institutions as a way for employees or clients at a remote locat ...

and tells her to leave for

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus lie ...

. Saddam hides out in a rustic building with his remaining bodyguards. He befriends Ahmed, a lively local boy who initially does not know his identity. Saddam broadcasts messages from his hideout insisting that the Iraqi people continue to resist the U.S. occupation. Meanwhile, Sajida and her family anxiously watch news coverage of the war. Uday, Qusay and Qusay's son Mustapha take refuge at a house in

Mosul Mosul ( ar, الموصل, al-Mawṣil, ku, مووسڵ, translit=Mûsil, Turkish: ''Musul'', syr, ܡܘܨܠ, Māwṣil) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. The city is considered the second larg ...

. Uday wishes to flee, but Qusay contemptuously refuses. Saddam is informed that there is a monetary reward for his family's betrayal, but he insists that they will not be caught. However, the owner of Uday and Qusay's safehouse betrays them to the Americans, and a large number of

101st Airborne Division The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) ("Screaming Eagles") is a light infantry division of the United States Army that specializes in air assault operations. It can plan, coordinate, and execute multiple battalion-size air assault operati ...

troops surround the building with tanks and APCs. After refusing to give themselves up, and exchanging fire with the troops, the Americans fire a rocket at their position and all three are killed. Sajida is distressed to learns of her sons' deaths from TV news. After being informed of the deaths, Saddam secretly visits the graves of his sons and grandson, laying Iraqi flags on them. He continues trying to rally the Iraqi people against U.S. forces, saying that his fallen sons are heroes of ''

jihad Jihad (; ar, جهاد, jihād ) is an Arabic word which literally means "striving" or "struggling", especially with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it can refer to almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with G ...

''. Saddam's bodyguards build a tunnel where the former dictator can hide, but one of them is captured by U.S. troops when he visits his girlfriend. Saddam decides to move elsewhere, but Ahmed warns him of U.S. patrols. He offers to hide Saddam, but the former president refuses to involve him. In Operation Red Dawn, Saddam is captured and taken into custody. 2006: Saddam is placed on

trial In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribun ...

for

crimes against humanity Crimes against humanity are widespread or systemic acts committed by or on behalf of a ''de facto'' authority, usually a state, that grossly violate human rights. Unlike war crimes, crimes against humanity do not have to take place within the ...

and is sentenced to death by hanging for five different crimes against humanity, including the

Dujail Massacre The Dujail massacre was a mass killing of Shia rebels by the Ba'athist Iraqi government on 8 July 1982 in Dujail, Iraq. The massacre was committed in retaliation to an earlier assassination attempt by the Shia Iranian supported Islamic Dawa ...

Cast

Yigal Naor Igal Naor ( he, יגאל נאור; born ) is an Israeli actor, sometimes credited as Yigal Naor. Naor was born in Givatayim, Israel, to Mizrahi Jewish parents from Iraq. He has appeared in the American films ''Munich'', ''Green Zone'' and '' R ...

, President of Iraq (1979–2003) *

Shohreh Aghdashloo Shohreh Aghdashloo ( fa, شهره آغداشلو, ; née Vaziri-Tabar (); 11 May 1952) is an Iranian and American actress. Following numerous starring roles on the stage, she made her film debut in '' Chess of the Wind'' (1976). Her next two fil ...

as Sajida Khairallah Talfah, Saddam's first wife *

Philip Arditti Philip Arditti also credited as Philip Ishak Arditti, is a Turkish theatre and television actor of Jewish Sephardic descent, famous for his role as Uday Hussein in the four episode ''House of Saddam'' television docudrama. He also appeared in th ...

Uday Hussein Uday Saddam Hussein ( ar, عدي صدام حسين; 18 June 1964 – 22 July 2003) was an Iraqi politician and the eldest son of Saddam Hussein. He held numerous positions as a sports chairman, military officer and businessman, and was the hea ...

, Saddam's eldest son * Mounir Margoum as

Qusay Hussein Qusay Saddam Hussein al-Nasiri al-Tikriti (or Qusai, ar, قصي صدام حسين; 17 May 1966 – 22 July 2003) was an Iraqi politician, military leader, and the second son of Saddam Hussein. He was appointed as his father's heir apparent i ...

, Saddam's second son * Agni Scott as Raghad Hussein, Saddam's eldest daughter * Shivani Ghai as Rana Hussein, Saddam's second daughter * Amber Rose Revah as Hala Hussein, Saddam's youngest daughter *

Christine Stephen-Daly Christine Stephen-Daly (born 1973) is an Australian actress. Her television credits include '' Pacific Drive'' (1996), ''Casualty'' (2001–04), ''Cutting It'' (2005), and ''House of Saddam'' (2008). Biography Stephen-Daly grew up in Melbourne ...

, Saddam's second wife *

Amr Waked Amr Waked ( ar, عمرو واكد ; born ) is an Egyptian film, television and stage actor. He is best known to international audiences and in Hollywood for his role in the 2005 film ''Syriana''. Other prominent roles include a Yemeni Sheikh calle ...

as Lieutenant General Hussein Kamel, Raghad's husband, Ali Hassan's nephew, later head of the elite Republican Guard and Commander of the Iraqi Army *

Saïd Taghmaoui Saïd Taghmaoui (born 19 July 1973) is a French-American actor and screenwriter. One of his major screen roles was that of Saïd in the 1995 French film ''La Haine'', directed by Mathieu Kassovitz. Taghmaoui has also appeared in a number of Eng ...

, Saddam's half brother, head of the elite Iraqi Republican Guard *

Uri Gavriel Uri Gavriel ( he, אורי גבריאל) is an Israeli theater, film and television actor. Winner of the Ophir Award and Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in 2005 as Best Actor in film ''What a Wonderful Place''. In 2018, he appeared as P ...

as General Ali Hassan "Chemical Ali" al-Majid, head of Mukhabarat, the Iraqi intelligence Agency and Saddam's cousin * Said Amadis as General

, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces, Sajida's brother *

Makram Khoury Makram Jamil Khoury (Arabic:, مكرم يعقوب خوري}, he, מכרם חורי) is an Arab-Israeli actor, born 30 May 1945 in Jerusalem. He was the youngest artist and the first Arab to win the Israel Prize, the highest civic honor in Isra ...

, Deputy Prime Minister, foreign minister of Iraq and Saddam's best friend * Daniel Lundh as Colonel

, Rana's husband, Hussein Kamel's brother, Ali Hassan's nephew * Akbar Kurtha as

, Saddam's personal aide and food-taster * Jihed Mejrissi as Mohammad Barzan al-Tikriti, Saddam's nephew to half-brother Barzan * Waleed Zuaiter as Adnan Hamdani, Minister of Planning and Saddam's best friend * Jacqueline King as

, U.S. ambassador to Iraq from 1988 to 1990

Reception

Reviews

At the

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...

, the series holds an approval rating of 60% based on 20 reviews, with an average rating of 5.56/10. The website's critical consensus states, "''House of Saddam'' is anchored by a commanding performance from

Igal Naor Igal Naor ( he, יגאל נאור; born ) is an Israeli actor, sometimes credited as Yigal Naor. Naor was born in Givatayim, Israel, to Mizrahi Jewish parents from Iraq. He has appeared in the American films ''Munich'', ''Green Zone'' and '' R ...

's, but the miniseries offers shallow insight into the fallen tyrant and the history he helped shape." On

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

, it has a weighted average score of 62 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

'' newspaper described the drama as "''

The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American crime drama television series created by David Chase. The story revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster, portraying his difficulties as he tries to balance ...

'' with

Scud missile A Scud missile is one of a series of tactical ballistic missiles developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It was exported widely to both Second and Third World countries. The term comes from the NATO reporting name attached to the m ...

s", adding that it was good entertainment but that it seemed to gloss over early US and British support for Saddam's regime.Thomas Sutcliffe, The Independent, Thursday, 31 July 2008
/ref>

Nancy Banks Smith Nancy Banks-Smith (born 1929) is a British television and radio critic, who spent most of her career writing for '' The Guardian''. Life and career Born in Manchester and raised in a pub, she was educated at Roedean School. Banks-Smith began ...

of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...

'' also compared it to ''The Sopranos'' ("without the jokes"), and judged it to be "an extraordinarily ambitious attempt and it succeeds very well".First Night: House of Saddam, 31 July 2008
/ref> Tim Teeman in ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ( ...

'' described it as "convincing and chilling... It was soap (the feeling of ''

Dallas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...

'' was heightened by the late-1970s/early-1980s tacky glam: check out Saddam's glass lift), it was reality, it was cheeky and it was terrifying." Serena Davis of ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...

'' objected to some "clunking" expository dialogue explaining political events, but was impressed that "Naor's towering version of the dictator envisioned him as both adept family schemer and political giant."

Ratings

United Kingdom

* Part I (BBC Two 2008-07-30): 2.7 million viewers (59% audience share). * Part II (BBC Two 2008-08-06): 2.3 million viewers (11% audience share). * Part III (BBC Two 2008-08-13): 1.8 million viewers (8% audience share). * Part IV (BBC Two 2008-08-20): 1.5 million viewers (6% audience share).

United States

HBO miniseries ''House of Saddam'' attracted approximately 1.1 Million viewers on its debut.

Australia

''House of Saddam'' screened in 2009 on

Showcase Showcase or vitrine may refer to: *Cabinet (furniture) *Display case Music * ''Showcase'' (Bill Anderson album), 1964 * ''Showcase'' (Patsy Cline album), 1961 * ''Showcase'' (Buddy Holly album), 1964 * ''Showcase'' (Philly Joe Jones album), 1959 ...

through

Foxtel Foxtel is an Australian pay television company—operating in cable television, direct broadcast satellite television, and IPTV streaming services. It was formed in April 2018, superseding an earlier company from 1995. The service was establi ...

Optus TV Optus Television is the cable television division of Australian telecommunications company Optus. History Its immediate predecessor was Optus Vision, a joint venture between Optus and Continental Cablevision, with small shareholdings by media ...

, and

Austar Austar was an Australian telecommunications company. Its main business activity was subscription television but it has also been involved with internet access and mobile phones. It was founded in 1995 under the name Community Entertainment Tele ...

Accolades

References

External links

*
Official HBO siteOfficial Press Release
at BBC Press Office *
Saddam drama series for BBC Two
' at

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadc ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:House Of Saddam 2000s British drama television series 2000s British television miniseries 2000s historical drama films 2008 biographical drama films 2008 British television series debuts 2008 British television series endings American biographical series BBC high definition shows BBC television dramas British biographical drama films British historical drama films Cultural depictions of Saddam Hussein English-language television shows Films directed by Jim O'Hanlon Films set in Iraq Gulf War films HBO original programming Iraq War in television Primetime Emmy Award-winning television series Television shows set in Iraq