Britain's Great War BBC1 2100, 27/1

ftv · 26/01/14 - 20:47

BBC launches a year of programming commemorating the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 with Jeremy Paxman charting how the war affected British people, beginning with the mass recruitment drive, fear of invasion and enemy attacks from sea and air. First of a huge tranche of BBC programming - you have been warned.

(Wednesday in Wales)

lundavra · 26/01/14 - 21:51

He did a short film on Friday for The One Show about the German bombardment of Hartlepool which had an interview with an old lady who witnessed it. Sadly she has died since the interview was filmed last year so the first programme in the series is dedicated to her.

Archie Duke · 26/01/14 - 22:51

I must say I don't much care for Paxo's style, in fact I'd rather dispense with camera hogging ex-newsreading presenters completely and just have a narrator.

It will be interesting to see which Historical fork in the road this [ and other] series will go down, WW1 as an unutterable folly that costs the lives of millions or a just war that saved Europe from the Evils of teutonic tyranny ?

Doghouse Riley · 26/01/14 - 23:15

Archie Duke wrote: »

I must say I don't much care for Paxo's style, in fact I'd rather dispense with camera hogging ex-newsreading presenters completely and just have a narrator.

It will be interesting to see which Historical fork in the road this [ and other] series will go down, WW1 as an unutterable folly that costs the lives of millions or a just war that saved Europe from the Evils of teutonic tyranny ?

I agree I much prefer a narrator.

I imagine this will be a compilation of a lot of stuff previously seen several times on different channels and probably later on "Yesterday."

I just hope we don't get a presentation that suggests that they are telling us about something new to TV.

lundavra wrote: »

He did a short film on Friday for The One Show about the German bombardment of Hartlepool which had an interview with an old lady who witnessed it. Sadly she has died since the interview was filmed last year so the first programme in the series is dedicated to her.

There's already been a C4 documentary on the bombing of Hartlepool and elsewhere by Zeppelins, shown last year.

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/attack-of-the-zeppelins/episode-guide

ftv · 27/01/14 - 01:41

As I said this is just the beginning of a barrage of BBC programmes across radio and TV, both factual and drama. Haven't seen any offerings from ITV....

Also huge BBC coverage of the 70th anniversary of D Day in June with the Queen, Obama et al.

Archie Duke · 27/01/14 - 02:01

I believe these is a programme featuring the interviews with WW1 veterans that was included in the 1960s BBC documentary The Great War.

This is footage that didn't make it into the finished episodes, thankfully someone at the BBC didn't throw it away, as they were wont to do back then.

Doghouse Riley · 27/01/14 - 17:34

There's an unflattering photograph of Paxman in my telly mag. He's looking more and more like Albert Steptoe these days. It's twice the size of the write-up about the programme, I hope this isn't an indication of the "balance of content" we can expect.

ocav · 27/01/14 - 17:56

ftv wrote: »

BBC launches a year of programming

Isn't it 4 years programming?

lundavra · 27/01/14 - 19:06

ocav wrote: »

Isn't it 4 years programming?

Could actually be five years because they might do some programmes covering the period between the Armistice and the Peace Treaty.

Doghouse Riley · 27/01/14 - 22:13

This could be, "relatively cheap BBC1 prime-time TV." With so much archive footage available, they could make a lot of programmes.

But I think the BBC will include a lot of "presenter content," as they are on record as saying that BBC1 viewers won't watch a lot of monochrome film footage.

Archie Duke · 28/01/14 - 00:16

Doghouse Riley wrote: »

But I think the BBC will include a lot of "presenter content," as they are on record as saying that BBC1 viewers won't watch a lot of monochrome film footage.

Really, I wonder where they got that idea, the BBC actually listens to viewers' dislikes ?

Good good, the viewers universally dislike loud background music, shaky camerawork, obtrusive trailers and constant recaps and summaries during programmes, hopefully the BBC will do something about them.

Doghouse Riley · 28/01/14 - 00:22

Archie Duke wrote: »

Really, I wonder where they got that idea, the BBC actually listens to viewers' dislikes ?

Good good, the viewers universally dislike loud background music, shaky camerawork, obtrusive trailers and constant recaps and summaries during programmes, hopefully the BBC will do something about them.

I got that from something Alan Whicker wrote.

When he first suggested making a new "Wicker's World" series to the BBC, showing old clips of his visits to far-flung places as they were then, with him revisiting the same places and comparing the changes in both the topography and culture, they turned him down, telling him that viewers won't watch black and white film footage in a contemporary programme.

[Deleted User] · 28/01/14 - 01:07

I'd rather watch something like this on Yesterday.

gladysbach · 28/01/14 - 01:17

Give it a chance. Most channels will be broadcasting such programmes, but this is the BBC, so put the boot in.

REVUpminster · 28/01/14 - 01:32

Archie Duke wrote: »

I must say I don't much care for Paxo's style, in fact I'd rather dispense with camera hogging ex-newsreading presenters completely and just have a narrator.

It will be interesting to see which Historical fork in the road this [ and other] series will go down, WW1 as an unutterable folly that costs the lives of millions or a just war that saved Europe from the Evils of teutonic tyranny ?

Don't knock Paxman. This series is an accompaniment to his acclaimed 2013 book Great Britain's Great War

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Great-Britains-War-Jeremy-Paxman/dp/0670919616/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1390854746&sr=8-1&keywords=great+britains+great+war

mrbernay · 28/01/14 - 02:24

It's a pity that a series like The World at War was never made about WW1. I suppose people still didn't want to acknowledge the carnage that happened for some futile reason.

Now we have Julian Fellowes giving his opinion, as if he knows anything >:(>:(

dreadnought · 28/01/14 - 02:30

mrbernay wrote: »

It's a pity that a series like The World at War was never made about WW1. I suppose people still didn't want to acknowledge the carnage that happened for some futile reason.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_War_(documentary)

mrbernay · 28/01/14 - 02:39

dreadnought wrote: »

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_War_(documentary)

Thanks dread, I remember seeing that first time round and repeats on various history channels. Unfortunately, it's not quite the same as The World at War as they didn't have (IIRC) interviews with people from both sides explaining why and how they did things.... Doenitz, Speer, etc

mrbernay · 28/01/14 - 02:43

Unfortunately, I don't want Paxo telling me this as he is not an historian. He is reading a script and has little history background. I've picked him up on various recent" historical blunders (can't remember which exactly, but just thought "how could someone like you not know that?")

REVUpminster · 28/01/14 - 02:54

mrbernay wrote: »

Unfortunately, I don't want Paxo telling me this as he is not an historian. He is reading a script and has little history background. I've picked him up on various recent" historical blunders (can't remember which exactly, but just thought "how could someone like you not know that?")

He is not just a presenter, unless you think someone else wrote them.

Harris, Robert; Jeremy Paxman (1982). A Higher Form of Killing: The Secret Story of Chemical and Biological Warfare. New York, N.Y.: Hill and Wang. ISBN 0-8090-5471-X. New edition published as Harris, Robert; Jeremy Paxman (2002). A Higher Form of Killing: The Secret History of Gas and Germ Warfare. London: Arrow. ISBN 0-09-944159-4. .
Paxman, Jeremy (1985). Through the Volcanoes: A Central American Journey. London: Paladin. ISBN 0-586-08572-6.
Paxman, Jeremy (1991). Friends in High Places: Who Runs Britain?. London; New York, N.Y.: Penguin. ISBN 0-14-015600-3.
Paxman, Jeremy (1999). The English: A Portrait of a People. London: Penguin. ISBN 0-14-026723-9.
Paxman, Jeremy (2003). The Political Animal: An Anatomy. London: Penguin. ISBN 0-14-028847-3.
Paxman, Jeremy (2006). On Royalty. London; New York, N.Y.: Viking. ISBN 0-670-91662-5.
Paxman, Jeremy (2009). The Victorians: Britain Through the Paintings of the Age. London: BBC Books. ISBN 978-1-84607-744-9.
Paxman, Jeremy (2011). Empire: What Ruling the World Did to the British. London: Viking. ISBN 978-0-670-91957-4.
Paxman, Jeremy (2013). Great Britain's Great War. London: Viking. ISBN 978-0-670-91961-1.

mrbernay · 28/01/14 - 02:57

REVUpminster wrote: »

He is not just a presenter, unless you think someone else wrote them.

Harris, Robert; Jeremy Paxman (1982). A Higher Form of Killing: The Secret Story of Chemical and Biological Warfare. New York, N.Y.: Hill and Wang. ISBN 0-8090-5471-X. New edition published as Harris, Robert; Jeremy Paxman (2002). A Higher Form of Killing: The Secret History of Gas and Germ Warfare. London: Arrow. ISBN 0-09-944159-4. .
Paxman, Jeremy (1985). Through the Volcanoes: A Central American Journey. London: Paladin. ISBN 0-586-08572-6.
Paxman, Jeremy (1991). Friends in High Places: Who Runs Britain?. London; New York, N.Y.: Penguin. ISBN 0-14-015600-3.
Paxman, Jeremy (1999). The English: A Portrait of a People. London: Penguin. ISBN 0-14-026723-9.
Paxman, Jeremy (2003). The Political Animal: An Anatomy. London: Penguin. ISBN 0-14-028847-3.
Paxman, Jeremy (2006). On Royalty. London; New York, N.Y.: Viking. ISBN 0-670-91662-5.
Paxman, Jeremy (2009). The Victorians: Britain Through the Paintings of the Age. London: BBC Books. ISBN 978-1-84607-744-9.
Paxman, Jeremy (2011). Empire: What Ruling the World Did to the British. London: Viking. ISBN 978-0-670-91957-4.
Paxman, Jeremy (2013). Great Britain's Great War. London: Viking. ISBN 978-0-670-91961-1.

Thanks for the info

I just picked up on a number of glaring historical blunders he made in some of his programmes. I always think: if you know that why don't you change the script?

Archie Duke · 28/01/14 - 03:09

mrbernay wrote: »

Thanks dread, I remember seeing that first time round and repeats on various history channels. Unfortunately, it's not quite the same as The World at War as they didn't have (IIRC) interviews with people from both sides explaining why and how they did things.... Doenitz, Speer, etc

Yes, after 44 years all of the top WW1 leaders and senior Soldiers were long gone.

ITV made World At War less than 30 years after the end of WW2 when many senior Politicians, Soldiers and Diplomats were still only middle aged.

But the BBC's The Great War was the template for the World At War, even down to using a serious thespian as narrator.

balthasar · 28/01/14 - 03:11

Well, that seemed all over the place, with no context given to anything before moving on to the next point.

mrbernay · 28/01/14 - 03:30

Archie Duke wrote: »

Yes, after 44 years all of the top WW1 leaders and senior Soldiers were long gone.

ITV made World At War less than 30 years after the end of WW2 when many senior Politicians, Soldiers and Diplomats were still only middle aged.

But the BBC's The Great War was the template for the World At War, even down to using a serious thespian as narrator.

Agree with that, and that's why I don't want Paxo's face and personal commentary throughout. With time it won't hold up, whereas The World at War can be repeated for ever and a day

Jenny_Sawyer · 28/01/14 - 03:30

I still don't know what the assassination of Franz Ferdinand has to do with things.

REVUpminster · 28/01/14 - 03:32

It does seem to go over similar territory that Ian Hislop covered in his programme about war memorials

Hey there!

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