War made Celia Imrie look so powerful that HBO Max show's opening episode was refilmed

Date:
Tue, 29 Sep 2026 07:05:00 +0000

Description:
One delicious detail of new HBO Max series War is that the iconic Celia Imrie is part of the cast and apparently her aura is too powerful for her own good.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter If you're under the age of 30 and think of the name Celia Imrie, you likely think of the woman who farted
in a log cabin during an episode of The Celebrity Traitors season 1.

Obviously you'd be factually correct, but this doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of just how iconic Imrie actually is. From Acorn Antiques and Dinnerladies to Calendar Girls and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, if there's been a worthwhile British drama, she's been there to improve it. Now, the
same can be said for War on HBO Max (international) and Sky TV (UK).
Following two legal firms as they represent a spouse in a high-profile
divorce trial, Imrie plays Budgie, a freelance barrister working for the
newly established Taylor & Byrne. Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here:

From watching the trailer below, you might have assumed, like me, that Imrie was to play the High Court Judge overseeing the trial. According to Taylor
and Byrne themselves, James McArdle and Phoebe Fox, Imrie had those onset so fooled by her power, that their opening scene in episode 1 had to be entirely reshot. 'She has such inherent power' War | Official Teaser | HBO Max - YouTube Watch On "She is such an incredibly charismatic woman and has such an inherent power," Fox tells me. "Originally, she just turns up and is in the office with us having a scene but they actually had to reshoot her entering the office because everyone who watched it thought that she ran the company. You may like War review: HBO Max and Sky TV team up for a masterclass in divorce drama The Odyssey is lucky to have Samantha Morton and this devastating drama proves why Brutal new ITV crime drama The Blame cut
original opening for being too explicit

"We're the bosses, but that wasn't clear, apparently. She's a dream woman to work with."

And water is wet. This news doesn't surprise me in the slightest... but what
I didn't realise is that Celebrity Traitors was airing at the same time as
War was being filmed, which must have been like striking gold for any other cast members with a penchant for reality TV. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

"While we were filming, Traitors was on," McArdle adds. "It was really hard for the director to get me to concentrate because I just kept trying to get spoilers out of Celia and Nick (Mohammed). Celia and I knew each other from way before, so I thought she would tell me... but she never did."

Oh, didn't I mention that there's also a Celebrity Traitors reunion within
the cast too? More on that later this week. For now, set your clocks ready to watch War this Friday (October 2). Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/streaming/hbo-max/war-made-celia-imrie-look-so-power ful-that-the-hbo-max-shows-opening-episode-had-to-be-refilmed-everyone-watchin g-thought-she-ran-the-company


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