Auntie's War (Omnibus)

Original version

BBC Radio 4 Extra

Auntie's War by Edward Stourton (Omnibus)

Factual: Arts, Culture & the Media

Factual: History

Auntie's War

BBC Radio 4 Extra - Auntie's War by Edward Stourton (Omnibus)

Ed Stourton describes the BBC’s wartime journey.

Ed Stourton describes the BBC’s wartime journey, the boredom of the Phoney War and the reporter’s experiences. From 2018.

The BBC is a British institution unlike any other, and its story during the Second World War is also the story of Britain's people.

Writer and presenter Edward Stourton is a sharp-eyed and affectionate companion on the BBC's wartime journey, investigating archives, diaries, letters and memoirs to examine what the BBC was and what it stood for.

Ed describes how the BBC adapted to being on a war footing, the boredom of the Phoney War and the experiences of reporters sent to France.

These were the years when Auntie (the BBC's enduring nickname) earned a reputation for bossiness. It was also a period of remarkable voices - Churchill's fighting speeches, de Gaulle's broadcasts from exile, George Orwell, Ed Murrow, Richard Dimbleby and Vera Lynn.

During these extraordinary times, eyewitness testimonies gave a voice to everyone, securing the BBC's reputation as a reliable purveyor of the truth.

Auntie's War is more than a portrait of an institution at a critical time, it is also a portrayal of the British in wartime and an insight into why we have our broadcast culture today.

Omnibus of five parts abridged by Anna Magnusson.

Read by Edward Stourton.

Producer:  Pippa Vaughan

A Loftus production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in January 2018.

Your digital radio entertainment station showcasing the best in comedy and drama

Your digital radio entertainment station showcasing the best in comedy and drama. With recent favourites from BBC Radio 4.

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Auntie's War by Edward Stourton (Omnibus)

Genres

BBC Radio 4 Extra

About BBC Radio 4 Extra