5. Eyewitness Reports
Ed Stourton on the ±«Óãtv in wartime, its new reporting unit - and a correspondent is parachuted behind enemy lines. From 2018.
The ±«Óãtv is a British institution unlike any other, and its story during the Second World War is also the story of Britain's people.
Writer and presenter Edward Stourton is a sharp-eyed and affectionate companion on the ±«Óãtv's wartime journey, investigating archives, diaries, letters and memoirs to examine what the ±«Óãtv was and what it stood for.
In this final episode, the ±«Óãtv's War Reporting Unit comes into being, and correspondent Guy Byam is parachuted behind enemy lines.
These were the years when Auntie (the ±«Óãtv's enduring nickname) earned a reputation for bossiness. It was also a period of remarkable voices - Churchill's fighting speeches, de Gaulle's broadcasts from exile, George Orwell, Ed Murrow, Richard Dimbleby and Vera Lynn.
During these extraordinary times, eyewitness testimonies gave a voice to everyone, securing the ±«Óãtv's reputation as a reliable purveyor of the truth.
Auntie's War is more than a portrait of an institution at a critical time, it is also a portrayal of the British in wartime and an insight into why we have our broadcast culture today.
Concluded by Edward Stourton.
Abridged by Anna Magnusson.
Producer: Pippa Vaughan
A Loftus production for ±«Óãtv Radio 4, first broadcast in January 2018.
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Credits
| Role | Contributor |
|---|---|
| Reader | Edward Stourton |
| Author | Edward Stourton |
| Abridger | Anna Magnusson |
| Producer | Pippa Vaughan |
Broadcasts
Fri 12 Jan 2018 09:45±«Óãtv Radio 4 FM- Sat 13 Jan 2018 00:30±«Óãtv Radio 4
- Fri 11 Nov 2022 14:00±«Óãtv Radio 4 Extra
- Sat 12 Nov 2022 02:00±«Óãtv Radio 4 Extra