House of Saddam

The four-episode 2008 HBO miniseries is a wild ride – just like living in Iraq from the time Saddam seized control during a revolution in the late 70s, both for his family members and his citizens.

There’s violence, screaming, shouting, murder and everything else you want from a show about someone as infamously evil as this dictator. It was made 12 years ago, so it may feel a little dated. But the important thing is that, even though it’s dramatised, all the stories are real. And the cast, who are largely unknowns outside of the Middle East, are excellent.

Alessandra Stanley from nytimes.com says that “the series doesn’t excuse Hussein by exploring his psyche or childhood traumas. But it does explain how Hussein seized the presidency and held onto it, even after his devastating eight-year war with Iran that killed millions and bankrupted his country; his reckless and failed invasion of Kuwait; and his bizarre cat-and-mouse games with the United Nations and Washington.”