Introduction

At the outbreak of war, two teenage boys – one German and one British – defy their parents to sign up, but their enthusiasm is tested when they get their first taste of battle.

Outline

1916:- Both the German and British regiments arrive at the Western Front with Tommy being reunited with Joanna. She tells him that her brother has been killed in action and expresses her fears for his safety. Everybody is expecting a major offensive and it duly comes in the form of the terrifying battle of the Somme. The German dug-outs are heavily shelled with Michael having to be rescued from the rubble. This gives the British undue confidence and many of them, including Tommy’s friends, are mown down by machine gun fire, Tommy and Michael being among the few …

The Passing Bells Series

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Production & Filming Details

• Director(s): Brendan Maher.
• Producer(s): Zbigniew Adamkiewicz, Andrew Boswell, Belinda Campbell, Andrew Chapman, Den Donald, Peter Hampden, Dariusz Jablonski, Betham Jones, Tony Jordan, Violetta Kaminska, Norman Merry, Nick Pitt, and Izabela Wojcik.
• Writer(s): Tony Jordan.
• Music: John Lunn.
• Cinematography: Tomasz Naumiuk and Jacek Petrycki.
• Editor(s): Celia Haining.
• Production: Red Planet Pictures.
• Distributor(s): BBC Worldwide and TVP (Poland).
• Original Network: BBC One and TVP 1 (Poland).
• Release Date: 05 November 2014.
• Running Time: 30 minutes.
• Country: UK.
• Language: English.