Original version

BBC Four

Knowledge, arts, music and culture from the UK and the world.

BBC Four reflects arts, music and culture with an ambitious range of intellectually and culturally enriching programmes, taking an expert and in-depth approach to its subjects.

BBC 4

The Diary of Anne Frank

Drama: War & Disaster

An eye-opening reminder of the human cost of the Nazi genocide.

Teenager Anne, bursting with life, living in hiding and inches from discovery. An eye-opening reminder of the human cost of the Nazi genocide, and the loss of a life barely begun.

Series 1

BBC HD

BBC One Yorks & Lincs

BBC One Cambridgeshire

BBC One London

London

The BBC North East & Cumbria region started in 1959 (tbc) as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One North East & Cumbria.

BBC One North East & Cumbria

BBC Northern Ireland region started on 19th April 1955 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One Northern Ireland.

BBC One Northern Ireland

BBC One North West

The BBC East region started on 1st May 1959 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One East.

BBC One East

BBC One Oxfordshire

BBC One region covering Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire.

BBC One East Midlands

BBC One Channel Islands

Formerly part of a wider BBC One South East region that included London and part of the South region. Separated from BBC One London 2001-09-03 following reorganisation of the South East region.

BBC One South East

BBC One Wales

Wales

The BBC South region started on 5th January 1961 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One South.

BBC One South

The BBC South West region started on 20th April 1961 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One South West.

BBC One South West

BBC One Scotland

Scotland

BBC One West Midlands

The BBC West region started on 1st September 1957 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One West.

BBC One West

BBC One Yorkshire

BBC Four HD

Ellie Kendrick

Iain Glen

Tamsin Greig

Felicity Jones

Lesley Sharp

Ron Cook

Tim Dantay

Kate Ashfield

Mariah Gale

Elinor Day

Jon Jones

Deborah Moggach

The Diary of Anne Frank: Series 1: Episode 1

Episode 1

BBC One - The Diary of Anne Frank, Series 1, Episode 1

A young teenager and her family go into hiding from the Nazis in wartime Amsterdam.

Dramatisation. Shortly after her 13th birthday, a young girl and her family living in wartime Amsterdam go into hiding from the Nazis, under strict rules of silence.

June 1942. WWII Amsterdam is under Nazi occupation. Anne Frank, a teenage Jewish girl, is celebrating her 13th birthday with her family and friends by having a party. Amongst her birthday presents, she is given a red diary that she starts to write in immediately. Days later, call up papers arrive for her 16-year-old sister Margot and her parents, Otto and Edith, decide to hasten their plan to go into hiding from the Nazis to ensure that the family do not get separated. 

The next morning, the Franks head to Otto's spice company. Once there, they are led past the warehouses by their helpers in the office and taken up to a secret annex at the back of the building that occupies the three top floors. Otto and Edith will sleep in one room, with Margot and Anne next door in another. They will soon be joined by their friends Mr and Mrs Van Daan and their teenage son Peter, who will live on the floor above, in the larger shared living area. At the very top of the building is a disused attic, too cold to sleep in but useful for storing food. They must obey strict rules in the annex, remaining completely silent during working hours while the warehouse men are in the building. Only the faithful office staff know of their existence and have agreed to help them survive.

At first, Edith and Margot find the confinement hard to bear and sink into depression, while Otto and Anne make themselves useful, arranging the furniture that has been hidden there for them, and sewing material together to make black-out curtains. The Van Daans soon arrive and liven things up, especially when Peter reveals that he has brought his pet cat Mouschi, while Anne was forced to leave her cat at home. Anne does not think much of Peter but decides she must try and be pleasant to him to keep the peace.

Accessibility links

Programme Index

The Diary of Anne Frank

Series 1

Episode 1

Contributors

Genres

Brand

Series

BBC Four

About BBC Four