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Bluebirds Over the White Cliffs of Dover

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Bluebirds over the White Cliffs of Dover

29/05/2004

BBC Radio 4 Extra - Bluebirds Over the White Cliffs of Dover

Bluebirds? Over Dover? Ian Hislop delves into the chequered history of the wartime anthem.

Bluebirds? Over Dover? Ian Hislop delves into the somewhat chequered history of Dame Vera Lynn's legendary wartime anthem. From May 2004.

Dame Vera Lynn's wartime classic is British, original, but not entirely without controversy. Ian Hislop discovers the chequered history of this musical mainstay of the British nation in its finest hour. Could it really be a song weighed down by politics, propaganda and even a touch of plagiarism? And what about those bluebirds - have you ever seen any in the Dover area? 

Ian meets Dame Vera Lynn, veterans, musicologists and even an ornithologist in his quest to find the hidden meaning of this classic wartime song.

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