The Alan Clark Diaries is a six-part BBC drama starring John Hurt as the controversial, irreverent, Tory minister. Clarke is the member for Plymouth South, where he longs for a position of power as a Minister in Thatcher's government. When he gets the call to join the government he is totally unprepared for the commitment involved and is totally unable or willing to cope with the burdens of power. We watch his personal life go down while he climbs the greasy pole, from his first ministerial appointment, through the highs and lows of political life.