Other reviewers have already stated objections similar to my own: overacting by some of the principles, cartoonish depiction of these complex characters (especially czar Nicholas of Russia), and a bias towards the British historical figures such as Edward Grey. Nevertheless, as a contribution to the dramatic works about the Great War this was a worthy contribution. Enjoyable to watch, well presented by Ian McDiarmid and Nicholas Farrell as Eyre Crowe, and with the looming horror of July 1914 creating a sense of tension and dread throughout the whole production - much like the movie "Conspiracy" with Kenneth Branagh. There were many things I would have changed, such as sound quality, use of subtitles, more subtlety in the motives of the characters (the Kaiser's decision to go to war based on hurt feelings seems ridiculous and inept), and better depictions of certain characters who did seem 1-dimensional (at least read William Manchester's "Last Lion" before portraying Winston Churchill as an unthinking warhawk). Nevertheless this was a production worthy of applause.
Spoiler alert - war breaks out.
Spoiler alert - war breaks out.