Remembering Victory
Seventy years on, some of Britain's best-loved entertainers and broadcasters recall the jubilation of VE Day and the years that followed. First broadcast in 2015.
On 8 May 1945, Churchill broadcast the long-awaited announcement that the war in Europe was over. To celebrate, Britain threw the biggest street party the country had ever seen. Seventy years on, some of Britain's best-loved entertainers recall the jubilation of that unforgettable day. The extraordinary archive of celebrations all over Britain helps bring back the memories.
Britain's celebrities - including Sir Bruce Forsyth, Honor Blackman, Anne Reid, Sir Patrick Stewart, Kenny Lynch, Miriam Margolyes, Una Stubbs and Dame Cleo Laine - share their memories of the tea parties, bonfires, joyful tears and dancing in the streets. After the heady days of celebration, it was back to the realities of food rationing and unheated homes, but gradually the nation got back on its feet. The gloom of austerity was replaced by a new era of optimism and prosperity. This is the story of the Victory Generation.
Last on
Clip
![]()
Trail: VE Day - Remembering Victory
Duration: 00:30
Credits
| Role | Contributor |
|---|---|
| Narrator | Julie Walters |
| Participant | David Attenborough |
| Participant | Johnny Ball |
| Participant | Honor Blackman |
| Participant | Jilly Cooper |
| Participant | John Craven |
| Participant | Bruce Forsyth |
| Participant | Cleo Laine |
| Participant | Kenny Lynch |
| Participant | Miriam Margolyes |
| Participant | Michael Parkinson |
| Participant | Leslie Phillips |
| Participant | Anne Reid |
| Participant | Esther Rantzen |
| Participant | Patrick Stewart |
| Participant | Una Stubbs |
| Participant | June Whitfield |
| Producer | Mary Cranitch |
| Director | Mary Cranitch |
| Executive Producer | Chris Granlund |
| Production Manager | Michelle Clinton |
| Production Coordinator | Josef d'Bache-Kane |
