Countdown to War is a unique docudrama featuring actual private papers and diaries of the major players of World War II. Actor Ian McKellen portrays Hitler using recreated dialogue taken from the man himself. Behind-the-scenes events that predated the war are presented. Authentic meetings and debates give a sense of realism to the program. Alex Norton stars as Stalin, Michael Aldridge as Neville Chamberlain, Peter Vaughan as Hermann Göring, and Barrie Rutter enacts Mussolini. As the war looms, the decision-makers struggle to position themselves among the powerful. The result is a never-before-seen viewpoint that tells the real reasons behind the global confrontation.