World War One Centenary - Armistice
2018 will be a major Year of History on the BBC to mark the centenary of 1918, a seismic year in the history of Britain and the world.
Published: 22 January 2018
BBC One
14-18 NOW and Imperial War Museums, in partnership with the BBC, have commissioned a new film from acclaimed director and filmmaker Peter Jackson to tell the story of the First World War.
Created exclusively using original footage from the IWM’s film archives, each frame has been masterfully restored to the condition it would have been seen by its original Wartime audience over a century ago. The film features audio sourced from the BBC Archives to allow modern audiences to hear people from the time talking about The Great War in their own voice and in their own words. The result is a unique and thought provoking film that has discovered stories and perspectives on the war never-before presented to the public, brought to life by Peter Jackson’s acclaimed cinematic skills.
The film will be shown as part of the 2018 BFI London Film Festival, with a UK broadcast premiere on BBC One for Armistice 2018.
A 'making-of' documentary will accompany the BBC One screening, with behind-the-scenes footage, interviews with Peter Jackson and an in-depth look at the creative and technical process behind the work.
Commissioned by 14-18 NOW and Imperial War Museums in association with the BBC and Executive Produced by House Productions.
The Last Hundred Days
The Last Hundred Days is the epic, inspiring story of the Allies’ finest hour - and the invention of modern warfare.
In early 1918, the Allies had their backs to the wall as a great German offensive swept westward in a final bid to win the bloodiest war of all. Yet, little more than six months later, Germany was forced to accept crushing defeat.
From command headquarters to the frontlines, visionary leadership, revolutionary tactics and the courageous determination of the Allied forces on the Western Front turned the tide and won the Great War.
From the visceral experience of the soldiers on the battlefield and the nurses who patch up the wounded with unimaginable bravery, to the crucial decision making of the generals, this drama documentary will bring the men and women behind WWI’s finest multinational feat of arms vividly to life.
The Last Hundred Days (2x60') is an international co-production involving BBC Scotland, Foxtel Australia and The History Channel in Canada. It’s produced by Electric Pictures out of Fremantle, Western Australia. The Commissioning Editor for the BBC is Ewan Angus. The Executive Producer is David Harron.
Armistice weekend
The BBC will broadcast their flagship live events across Armistice weekend including the Festival of Remembrance on 10 November and the Cenotaph service on 11 November. There will also be a special programming later that day including a service from Westminster Abbey.
The centenary of the Armistice will be covered extensively across all BBC News programmes, with more information to follow.
Britain’s Great War: The People’s Story
BBC Four
This series will provide a final retrospective on one of the most catastrophic wars in human history. Britain’s Great War: The People’s Story draws from a unique collection of interviews from hundreds of survivors to tell the stories of the last survivors from World War I in their own words.
For the first time, the experiences of those on the front line and those on the home front will be combined to present the extraordinary stories of the ordinary people who lived through the war and to give a snapshot of what life was like for millions.
The testimonies will be illustrated with newly restored and remastered archive film drawn from Britain’s major archives and Britain’s main regional film archives.
Britain’s Great War (3x60') was commissioned by Cassian Harrison, Channel Editor BBC Four and Tom McDonald, Head of Commissioning, Natural History and Specialist Factual and is being produced by Steve Humphries for Testimony Films. The BBC Commissioning Editor is Simon Young.
Shell Shocked
BBC Two
In a compelling account of 100 years of Shell Shock, war historian Dan Snow breaks the silence around Britain’s broken war heroes and the devastating impact that war and battle experience has on mental health.
For 100 years, men and women who risked their lives for their country have continued to suffer on their return. In this one off film for BBC Two, Dan explores the challenge presented by an on-going mental health crisis among war veterans - a crisis that results in alcoholism, broken families, violence and suicide on a shocking scale.
From the First World War onwards, major conflicts involving British soldiers - World War Two, The Falklands, Northern Ireland, and most recently Afghanistan and Iraq - have continued to add new chapters to the forgotten stories of soldiers who suffered from what eventually came to be known as PTSD. In the programme, Dan, who has many close family ties to the military campaigns of the First World War, delves into previously unseen archives to reveal the history of the British reaction to the psychological complexities of battlefield trauma and the challenges of warfare.
Shell Shocked (1x60') was commissioned by Patrick Holland, Controller, BBC Two and Tom McDonald, Head of Commissioning Natural History and Specialist Factual. It is a BBC Studios Documentary Unit production where the executive producer is Chris Granlund. The BBC Commissioning Editor is Simon Young.
Antiques Roadshow - World War One Special
BBC One
The Antiques Roadshow has uncovered hundreds of fascinating World War One artefacts over the past 40 years. Now, a special programme will shift the focus to the end of the war and its aftermath.
From surprising mementoes and objects that offer an insight into the advances made in medical treatment, to symbols of sacrifice, and unseen photos capturing the reality of war, Antiques Roadshow presents a selection of the most profound and moving stories and objects received in response to a recent public appeal.
Antiques Roadshow is produced by BBC Studios. The Executive Producer is Gill Tierney and the Series Producer is Robert Murphy. It was commissioned by David Brindley.
Dan Cruickshank’s Monuments Of Remembrance
BBC One Northern Ireland/BBC Four
On the centenary of the end of the conflict, Dan Cruickshank reveals the extraordinary story of the design and building of the iconic memorials of World War One and of the remarkable men whose vision created them.
Today the monuments and cemeteries of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission are the lasting tribute to the 1.1 million Allied men and women who died in the Great War. In addition to the spectacular Thiepval Memorial, they include the magnificent Menin Gate and the Tyne Cot cemetery.
But who designed these remarkable monuments? How were they built? Where did the idea behind the CWGC originate? And how have they defined the architecture of commemoration as we know it?
The hour-long documentary Dan Cruickshank’s Monuments Of Remembrance, a co-production between BBC Northern Ireland and BBC Four, reveals the story behind an extraordinary memorial building project, whose sheer scale and ambition led Kipling to call it "the greatest work attempted since the Pyramids.”
Commissioned for BBC Northern Ireland and BBC Four by Susan Lovell and Mark Bell. The Executive Producers for the BBC are Mark Bell and Fiona Keane. The Executive Producers for Doubleband Films are Michael Hewitt and Dermot Lavery.
Captain Jack And the Furious Few
BBC Two Northern Ireland
This is the story of the first Royal Navy test pilots whose bravery and sacrifice changed warfare forever. In 1917, an 18-year-old Ulsterman, Jack McCleery, joined a squadron of elite aviators in what was probably the most dangerous part of the air service. Their mission; to land a wheeled plane on the deck of a moving vessel for the first time and to develop and test the techniques and technology that would convert HMS Furious into the world’s first dedicated aircraft carrier, capable of launching a strategic air attack on Britain’s enemies. Pioneers of the Great War, these test pilots were ground breakers whose every flight was a journey into the unknown.
Captain Jack And the Furious Few (1x60') was commissioned for BBC Northern Ireland by Susan Lovell. The Executive Producer for the BBC is Fiona Keane, and Michael Fanning is the Executive Producer for Below the Radar TV.
Anne Acheson: Groundbreaker
BBC Two Northern Ireland
A&E doctor and former Captain of the Royal Army Medical Corps, Dr Saleyha Ahsan uncovers the forgotten story of the Ulster artist who turned her skill and creativity to very different use in the trenches of the Great War. Working alongside an all-female team, Anne Acheson pioneered innovative medical and surgical aids and techniques, making a significant contribution to frontline combat medicine during the war.
Commissioned for BBC Northern Ireland by Susan Lovell, and the Executive Producer is Fiona Keane. David Kilpatrick is the Executive Producer for Clean Slate Television, and Moya Neeson is the Executive Producer for Morrow Productions.
Call air Cladach Ile / Tragedy on Islay’s Shores
BBC Alba
On February 5 a small commemoration event will be held on Islay to mark 100 years since the sinking of the SS Tuscania. She was torpedoed by a German U-boat while transporting American troops to Europe, sending 210 people to their deaths.
On May 4 a larger event will commemorate the sinking of both the SS Tuscania and the HMS Otranto. The HMS Otranto sank during a severe storm off the coast of Islay on 6 October 1918, killing 470 American soldiers and crewmen. The event will focus on Port Ellen with an interactive literary and musical showcase of Islay talent that retells Islay’s contribution in World War One, including the assistance provided in the aftermath of the Tuscania and Otranto tragedies; Telling the Story of Islay’s War in Words and Music. This will be followed by a service at Port Ellen War Memorial.
BBC Alba will offer extensive coverage at the end of December of the Iolaire commemorations.
Produced by Caledonia TV for BBC Alba where the Executive Producer is Ishbel Maclennan.
The Iolaire
BBC Alba
The story of His Majesty’s Yacht Iolaire is one loaded with tragic irony. A luxuriously appointed steam yacht she had been the personal plaything of a succession of shipping magnates and aristocrats before being requisitioned by the Royal Navy. With the war finally finished she was asked to complete one last mission - to transport nearly three hundred victorious British sailors back to their home, the Isle-of-Lewis, in time for the New Year.
This documentary tells the story of the catastrophic consequences when in the early hours of January 1st 1919 the Iolaire hit rocks just outside Stornoway Harbour. In the pitch darkness and heavy swell over 200 men were drowned. Only 75 men made it ashore. In the space of a few minutes one small community - already decimated by war - was visited by an unimaginable tragedy.
BBC Alba will offer extensive coverage at the end of December of the Iolaire commemorations.
This content was commissioned by BBC Alba. The Executive Producer is Bill Macleod.
BBC Children’s
BBC Children’s will cover the Centenary with features on Blue Peter and Newsround, special coverage of the commemorations on 11 November from France and Belgium and other related content looking at the impact of the War on past generations. Viewers will also be able to re-visit highlights from the last four years of World War One programming including Horrible Histories, Harriet’s Army, and CBeebies’ My Story: Childhood 100 Years Ago.
The Ballads Of The Great War
BBC Radio 2
Over the last five years Radio 2 has commissioned 50 new songs based on the archive of the first hand testimonies of those who fought, and lived through the First World War - these are being broadcast as the series The Ballads Of The Great War and live in special concert on Armistice weekend.
The Silver Tassie
BBC Radio 3
A live performance of Mark-Antony Turnage’s opera, The Silver Tassie, by the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Ryan Wigglesworth, based on Sean O’Casey’s play about World War One (10 November - part of the BBC SO’s WW1 Total Immersion day).
Radio 3 will also broadcast a selection of landmark documentaries and discussions about the music and poetry of World War One.
A Day of Silences
BBC Radio 3
A day of reflective silence through 'slow radio', giving audiences the chance to experience a series of two minute silences recorded in former battlefields across the world, spread throughout the day (11 November).
Radio 3 will also broadcast a selection of landmark documentaries and discussions about the music and poetry of World War One.
Britten’s War Requiem
BBC Radio 3
A live performance of Britten’s War Requiem by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales conducted by Mark Wigglesworth (11 November).
Radio 3 will also broadcast a selection of landmark documentaries and discussions about the music and poetry of World War One.
War’s Embers
BBC Radio 3
A series of four Lunchtime Concerts recorded at LSO St Luke’s titled War’s Embers will be presented by Nash Ensemble and Ashley Wass (broadcast 13-16 November).
BBC Symphony Orchestra Total Immersion Day
BBC Orchestras and Choirs
BBC Orchestras and Choirs will be reflecting the 2018 anniversary throughout the year including a BBC Symphony Orchestra Total Immersion Day at the Barbican (10 November) featuring talks and music inspired by the First World War.
Last Man Standing
BBC Orchestras and Choirs
BBC Orchestras and Choirs will be reflecting the 2018 anniversary throughout the year including the world premiere of Cheryl Frances-Hoad’s Last Man Standing, a BBC commission based on WWI texts (30 November).
Five Telegrams
BBC Proms
In association with 14-18 NOW, Five Telegrams is a collaboration between Anna Meredith, one of the country’s most exciting young composer-musicians, and 59 Productions, the pioneering video design company whose work includes the London 2012 Opening Ceremony and the Tony Award-winning War Horse.
Five Telegrams will be presented at the BBC Proms and as the Standard Life Opening Event at the Edinburgh International Festival. The work is a co-commission between these two major cultural organisations and marks the first time they have collaborated in this way.
Home Front
BBC Radio 4
Drama series Home Front - following the course of the First World War day by day as it affects the lives of people in different parts of Britain - ends with a special episode on Saturday 10 November that will close the story one year later, on the eve of the country’s first Remembrance Day in 1919.
The full archive of this landmark series will be available for the audience.
Tommies
BBC Radio 4
The final episode of Tommies, a series based on unit war-diaries and personal accounts, returns to Bourg, France, where it all started.
The full archive of this landmark series will be available for the audience.
The Cultural Front
BBC Radio 4
The final instalment of The Cultural Front, presented by Francine Stock over the last four years, will look at the cultural response to the final months of the Great War. Suffrage, influenza and the shattered lives of the veterans - as well as global uncertainty - all found their way on the stage, page and canvas.
The full archive of this landmark series will be available for the audience.
Armistice 1918
BBC Radio 4
Five leading historians challenge the conventional story of the 1918 Armistice and its aftermath, from the fringes of Europe to the Middle East for Radio 4 in Armistice 1918.
Asagio
BBC Radio 4
Radio 4 follows the footsteps taken by Vera Brittain in her memoir Testament of Youth to the graveside of her brother Edward, in the company of her daughter Shirley Williams. From the letters sent between Edward and Vera, we’ll hear about the forgotten Asiago campaign on the Italian front at the very end of the war and the tragic circumstances leading to Edward’s death.
America’s First World War
BBC World Service
As countries mark the battle of Amiens which heralded the last 100 days of war, the World Service has a special documentary looking at the involvement of the United States both militarily and diplomatically in bringing the war to an end, and the implications of this involvement for US foreign policy ever since. The US Marine Corp took part in one of the key assaults of the Amiens offensive and the last soldier killed in the war was an American of German descent, Henry Nicholas John Gunther shot at 10.59am, one minute before the Armistice took effect at 11am.
The Unknown Soldier
BBC World Service
The World Service has commissioned a documentary about the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, unveiled in 1920 in Westminster Abbey. Hundreds of thousands of people came to pay their respects, lining roads and rail lines. According to the Daily Mirror, “It was, and still is, the greatest outpouring of grief the country had ever known.” It was a memorialisation that other countries soon copied and tombs and memorials for the Unknown Soldier now exist across the world. We look at memory, loss and identity forged from war.
The Art of Border Living
BBC Radio Ulster/Foyle
The Art of Border Living tells the ‘sonic adventure’ story of the Ulster/Northern Ireland borderlands over the past 100 years through art, writing, poetry, music, performance and oral history, dedicated and inspired by its places and people.
This 30 minute documentary, which will be broadcast in the autumn, is produced by the Foghorn Company in collaboration with the Verbal Arts Centre in Londonderry, drawing on a series of initiatives funded by 14-18 NOW. It will be accompanied by a short online film.
