News
THE SPIRIT OF 1940 CONTINUES
19 May 2010
1940; a full year of the blitz, rationing, evacuees and courageous acts. The ‘Yesterday' channel celebrates the 70th anniversary of this momentous year with a season of programmes around ‘The Spirit of 1940'. Following the air of the first segment ‘Ration Book Britain' in March, Yesterday will this month show ‘Dunkirk: The Forgotten Heroes'. It tells the unknown story of the thousands of heroic men left behind in the Dunkirk evacuation.
The fascinating documentary will examine the escape of the British Expeditionary Force that proliferated the national newsreels and is now a national legend. 100,000 soldiers were deployed to Dunkirk to keep the Germans at bay; ordered to make a last stand down to the last man to protect their country. It brings to the screen fascinating insights into how the capture of 40,000 soldiers was kept a secret by the British government for propaganda reasons.
The 40,000 prisoners taken at Dunkirk endured horrendous conditions and were forced to work in forests, factories, coal and salt mines. The harsh conditions, physical and emotional turmoil and unremitting daily struggle to survive left many soldiers too traumatised to talk about their ordeal; until now.
Bringing this film to life are interviews with such people as 90-year-old John Davis who witnessed the death of many comrades and the horrific bombing of a hospital ship filled with injured British soldiers. Real-life experiences, such as John's, are told throughout this exceptional film.
Producer Steve Humphries, says, "We aim to uncover the true story of the forgotten men of Dunkirk. It's important that their heroism and sacrifice is finally recognised."
The Yesterday channel has been compiling an online library of stories and memorabilia from WW2. Help contribute to this great collection and ensure that your stories are not forgotten. You can send yours and your family and friends' memories in any format by email and we'll pick the best to display on the Yesterday website for all to see. You could even record a wartime story on your new iPhone, and submit a sound bite! Getting involved is easy, simply go to www.visityesterday.co.uk or email your stories to your1940story@uktv.co.uk
Tune in to Dunkirk: The Forgotten Heroes exclusively on Yesterday: Sky 537, Virgin 203, Freeview 12 on 28th May at 5pm. For more information go to www.visityesterday.co.uk
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Notes to editors
About Yesterday:
Yesterday is a place where the past is always present. As well as the high quality history series that viewers would expect such as 20th Century Battlefields and Hitler's Bodyguard, there will be an emphasis on the history of our own lifetimes. Classic series such as The Alan Clark Diaries as well as acquisitions including International Terrorism help Yesterday put our lives today into context. Where to find Yesterday: Sky channel 537, Virgin TV channel 203 and Freeview channel 12. Since rebranding from UKTV History in March 2009, Yesterday has performed strongly, consistently rating above its 52-week average in terms of share.
About UKTV:
Formed in 1997, UKTV is an independent commercial joint venture, between BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, and Virgin Media. Attracting 36.5 million viewers each month, the network consists of 10 distinctive channel brands - Watch, G.O.L.D., Dave, Alibi, Yesterday, Blighty, Eden, Home, Really and Good Food - offering a broad range of quality programming across entertainment, lifestyle and factual programming. UKTV currently operates 17 broadcast streams when multiplexes (+1s) are taken into account, and 11 highly successful websites. More information: http://www.uktv.co.uk/
Promising to creatively connect its audiences with great programming, UKTV's successful programming strategy combines quality content from the BBC with high profile original commissions and key acquisitions. All UKTV channels are distributed on Sky and Virgin Media. Dave and Yesterday are also available on Freeview.
http://www.visityesterday.co.uk/
