Our World War (TV series)

Our World War is a 2014 British television drama mini-series based on first hand accounts accounts of the soldiers who served in the First World War. The series was inspired by the 2012 BAFTA-winning series Our War. The series shows how the war affected people on the battlefield.

Our World War
Genre	Factual Historical drama
Written by	Joe Barton
Directed by	Bruce Goodison Ben Chanan
Theme music composer	Jon Opstad
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	1
No. of episodes	3 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer	Colin Barr
Producer	Susan Horth
Running time	60 minutes
Production company	BBC Documentaries
Distributor	BBC Studios
Release
Original network	BBC Three
Picture format	HDTV 1080i
Audio format	Stereo
Original release	7 August – 21 August 2014
External links
Website

Production

The series makes use of modern film techniques like fixed, body-mounted cameras and overhead battle scene animations, alongside a modern soundtrack featuring artists such as PJ Harvey, to attract a new audience. Parts of episode one were filmed at The Historic Dockyard in Chatham, Kent which doubled as the British HQ in Mons.[1]

Episode list

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
1	"The First Day"	Bruce Goodison	Joe Barton	7 August 2014
Two weeks after war is declared, the 4th Battalion of The Royal Fusiliers set up defences around the Belgian town of Mons. They expect to march beyond the town's bridges the next morning. Little do they know, however, the German army has already reached the other side of the canal.
2	"Pals"	Ben Chanan	Joe Barton	14 August 2014
A group of office workers from Levenshulme, Manchester join a local Pals battalion, the 18th Battalion, Manchester Regiment. They soon find themselves facing the Germans at the Somme. Months later, Paddy Kennedy pleads with the battalion chaplain to let him off the firing squad duty that will see him killing one of the friends he made on his journey.
3	"War Machine"	Bruce Goodison	Joe Barton	21 August 2014
Four years into the war, the British deploy tanks along the German border, to break the stalemate. A young Chas Rowland joins the crew of one of these tanks, the Niveleur, as it prepares for the Battle of Amiens. But the coming days will take their toll on the crew, and Chas must brave fumes, a temperamental engine, and cramped conditions to deliver a message home.

Reception

While some reviewers described the soundtrack choice as "powerful"[2] and "beautiful",[3] others felt it trivialised the subject matter[4] and would quickly date.[5]

References

1. Kent Film Office. "Kent Film Office Our World War Article".
2. Paul Reed. "BBC Our World War: Review of Ep1 – Mons".
3. Wollaston, Sam. "Our World War review – excellent, innovative and moving television". The Guardian.
4. Jones, Ellen E. "One World War, TV review: Jarring modern touches mean Great War story badly misfires". The Independent.
5. "Our World War, BBC Three, review: 'a whiff of spoof'". Telegraph.

External links

• Our World War at IMDb 
• Our World War at BBC Programmes