Whoops Apocalypse (film)

Whoops Apocalypse is a 1988 British comedy film directed by Tom Bussmann and starring Michael York, Loretta Swit, Herbert Lom, Rik Mayall, and Peter Cook. The film is a satirical take on Cold War anxieties and global politics, envisioning a series of escalating international incidents that threaten to trigger a nuclear apocalypse.

The plot centers on a fictional and unstable political landscape where the newly elected US President, Barbara Adams (Swit), is easily manipulated by her hawkish advisors. Meanwhile, a volatile Middle Eastern dictator, General Bubba (Lom), acquires a nuclear weapon, and a series of misunderstandings and blunders by world leaders push the globe closer to nuclear war.

Michael York plays Michael Milne, a British diplomat who attempts to navigate the escalating crisis and avert disaster. Rik Mayall appears as Chaos, a rock star whose music inadvertently influences global events. Peter Cook features as Sir Mortimer Chris, a cynical government official.

Whoops Apocalypse is known for its dark humor, absurd situations, and caricatured portrayal of political figures. It satirizes Cold War tensions, American foreign policy, and the media's role in shaping public opinion. The film received mixed reviews upon its release and was not a major box office success. A television series of the same name, predating the film, aired in 1982. While the film shares the title and some thematic similarities with the series, the plot and characters are largely different.