Through powerful stories and testimonies across our coverage, the 蜜芽传媒 is proud to be able to pay tribute to these men and women and ensure that their service, bravery and fortitude are remembered.
The 蜜芽传媒 will mark the 80th anniversary of VJ Day with a wide-ranging slate of special programming across television, radio, online and archive and reporting from 蜜芽传媒 News, reflecting on the end of the Second World War and the often-overlooked conflict in the Far East.
Tim Davie, Director-General of the 蜜芽传媒, says: "The 80th anniversary of VJ Day is a moment to honour the courage and sacrifice of all who served in the Far East during the Second World War. Through powerful stories and testimonies across our coverage, the 蜜芽传媒 is proud to be able to pay tribute to these men and women and ensure that their service, bravery and fortitude are remembered."
The centrepiece of the coverage will be a live commemorative event, VJ Day 80: The Nation's Tribute, broadcast on 蜜芽传媒 One and iPlayer from the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. This event, produced by 蜜芽传媒 Studios Events on behalf of the Royal British Legion and supported by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), will be attended by some of the last surviving Second World War veterans of the campaign in the Far East and the Pacific.
Also on 蜜芽传媒 One and iPlayer, The One Show will be live from the National Memorial Arboretum for a special episode sharing powerful stories from veterans. Antiques Roadshow will present a special VJ Day edition filmed at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, hosted by Fiona Bruce.
蜜芽传媒 News will mark the 80th anniversary of VJ Day with extensive coverage across TV and digital platforms. 蜜芽传媒 Breakfast and the News at One will feature live reports from the National Memorial Arboretum and moving interviews with veterans and their families. The News at Six and Ten will also be presented live from the Arboretum on 15 August, with special features running throughout the week. Online, the 蜜芽传媒 News website will host a dedicated live page with rolling updates. In the lead-up to the day, Rachel Burden presents VJ Day 80: We Were There, sharing powerful first-hand testimonies from the last surviving veterans as part of the 蜜芽传媒鈥檚 ongoing 鈥淲e Were There鈥� project.
蜜芽传媒 Radio 2鈥檚 Jeremy Vine Show will mark VJ Day with reflections on the final stages of the war and the voices of veterans who fought for Britain against Japan. 蜜芽传媒 Radio 4 will deliver an extensive season, including Kavita Puri鈥檚 three-part series The History Podcast: The Second Map, Archive on 4: Exposing Hiroshima, the audio drama Drama on 4: Hersey鈥檚 Hiroshima, Book at Bedtime with Tim McInnerny reading Kazuo Ishiguro鈥檚 An Artist of the Floating World, and a special edition of Any Questions? from the REME Museum. 蜜芽传媒 Radio 5 Live will provide live coverage of the commemorations at the National Memorial Arboretum and observe the national two-minute silence. Matt Chorley will also broadcast a special programme live from the historic Cabinet War Rooms, with exclusive behind-the-scenes insights from the wartime headquarters.
蜜芽传媒 Sounds will launch The History Podcast: The Second Map as a three-part boxset. Presented by award-winning journalist Kavita Puri, the series uncovers untold stories of Britain鈥檚 war against Japan through remarkable first-hand testimonies, including from veterans, POWs, and their descendants. The podcast explores the resilience, heroism, and hidden histories of those who lived through and fought in the war on the Asian front.
Newsround will help younger audiences understand the significance of VJ Day with special explainers on the war in the East and the national commemorations.
蜜芽传媒 Archive will surface rare footage, photography, and audio from the 蜜芽传媒鈥檚 historical collections, including digitised material from the Burma campaign and first-hand reports from Hiroshima.
Through this rich and varied programming, the 蜜芽传媒 invites audiences to reflect on the courage, sacrifice, and resilience of the 鈥榝orgotten army鈥� and all those affected by the war in the East -ensuring their stories continue to be remembered and passed on for generations to come.
VJ Day on TV and 蜜芽传媒 iPlayer
蜜芽传媒 One
VJ Day 80: The Nation鈥檚 Tribute
To commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Victory over Japan 鈥� VJ Day - and remember those who served in the Far East and the Pacific, the 蜜芽传媒 will broadcast a special programme live on 蜜芽传媒 One and iPlayer, on Friday 15 of August between 11:30am - 1:00pm from the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.
On this significant anniversary and with some of the last remaining VJ Day veterans in attendance, the event produced by 蜜芽传媒 Studios Events on behalf of the Royal British Legion and supported by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), will pay tribute to their extraordinary bravery and acknowledge the sacrifices made by so many for our freedom. It will also include a national two-minute silence.
Mark Atkinson, Director General of the Royal British Legion, says: 鈥淲e are incredibly proud to be leading the nation on the 80th anniversary of VJ Day with our Service of Remembrance at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. It will be a very poignant occasion for the Second World War veterans who served in the Far East and Pacific who will be with us on the day, alongside the families of those who served and lost loved ones. It is an opportunity for everyone across the country to watch live on 蜜芽传媒 One as we reflect and remember, starting with a national two-minute silence.鈥�
Staged at the foot of the iconic Armed Forces Memorial, this commemoration will feature personal testimonies and poignant reflections from veterans who remember leaving home for a far-off unknown country and an unknown enemy and being part of a 鈥榝orgotten army.鈥�
While Europe celebrated the surrender of the German forces on VE Day, a bitter war was being waged thousands of miles from home in the malaria ridden jungles of the Far East and the Pacific. After three long months, the war finally came to an end but for many there were mixed emotions. Those who had fought were largely forgotten by those at home and after they returned many were unable to speak of what they had suffered and seen on the brutal battlefields or in the Prisoner of War camps. There was relief and joy but also sadness at the human cost.
The Second World War in South East Asia was fought by one of the most diverse forces in history with troops drawn from across the British Empire and in particular pre-partition India and Africa. Over 40 languages were spoken by this multi-national force which was instrumental in bringing the war to an end, and this diversity will be a central theme threaded throughout the commemoration.
Broadcaster Paddy O鈥機onnell, whose father proudly served in the Second World War, will provide historical context through commentary and key moments of the conflict will be reflected through readings and musical performances by special guests. Films throughout the broadcast will feature veterans, some giving first hand personal accounts for the first time.
There will also be traditional military remembrance moments including The Last Post performed by The Royal Marine Buglers, a piper鈥檚 lament performed by The Brigade of the Gurkhas and a tribute from the Red Arrows and a traditional Second World War flypast.
Accessible commentary for the blind and partially sighted will be provided by Jane Hill via iPlayer and Red Button.
The One Show
On Thursday 14 August, The One Show will be looking ahead to the events marking VJ Day with a special live from the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.
They鈥檒l also be sharing powerful stories from veterans including that of Corporal Birdhoj Limbu, who served with the Gurkhas 鈥� an elite unit often deployed on the front lines or behind enemy lines in the fight to stop Burma from falling into Japanese hands. His family know little about his time with the unit, now his sons Dilsing and Jit 鈥� both former Gurkhas themselves 鈥� have turned to the curators at The Gurkha Museum in Winchester to uncover his father鈥檚 role in the campaign and, most importantly to track down his long-lost military medals.
What they discover goes far beyond their expectations, not only have the missing medals been found, but previously unseen archives have come to light, revealing the vital part Birdhoi Limbu played in the events leading up to VJ Day.
Antiques Roadshow VJ Day Special
Antiques Roadshow marks the 80th anniversary of VJ Day with a special episode filmed at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, featuring interviews with veterans and the families of those who took part in the victory over Japan.
The episode features interviews with two veterans of the conflict, both aged 100 - Naval Officer Bill Redston, who narrowly escaped death in both Normandy and Burma (now Myanmar), and Private Joseph Hammond, who travelled from Ghana to join the Fourteenth Army and was involved in some of the most ferocious fighting of the conflict.
The episode also features a poignant interview with 96-year-old Michiko Hattori, who survived the atomic bomb detonated over Hiroshima by the USA on 6 August 1945.
Members of the public share moving stories and cherished items that provide a personal insight into what is often referred to as the 鈥楩orgotten War鈥�, including several objects made by Prisoners of War, such as a food bowl carved out of a coconut, a fly swat made from old boot leather and an intricate chess set crafted by a soldier who was forced to work on the notorious 鈥楧eath Railway鈥� between Burma and Thailand.
Fiona Bruce meets the children of veterans who fought on opposing sides at the Battle of Kohima in 1944, which proved a turning point in the war. Bill Harriman hears the gruelling story of a member of the Chindits 鈥� a special operations unit for the Allies who went deep behind Japanese lines 鈥� and Siobhan Tyrrell is moved to see a pair of baby shoes, one of which the infant鈥檚 father carried with him as a good luck charm through the jungles of South East Asia.
VJ Day on Radio and 蜜芽传媒 Sounds
蜜芽传媒 Radio 2
The Jeremy Vine Show will be marking VJ Day on 蜜芽传媒 Radio 2 on the Friday 15 August, reflecting on the end of the war and bitter fighting in the Far East that culminated in atomic bombs being dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He speaks to the broadcaster Kavita Puri and hears the voices of veterans who fought for Britain against Japan in what has been described as the forgotten conflict.
蜜芽传媒 Radio 4
蜜芽传媒 Radio 4 will unearth personal voices from the Second World War鈥檚 Asian front, including never-before-heard archival recordings and new testimony from the war鈥檚 last remaining veterans in The History Podcast: The Second Map, presented by award-winning journalist Kavita Puri (Three Million).
Archive on 4 will shed light on the astonishing forgotten story of the journalist who defied the US military to publish the first eyewitness report from the ruins of Hiroshima after the atomic bomb - and the campaign to conceal the truth about the horrifying effects of radioactive fallout that followed. Coinciding with the 80th anniversary of VJ Day on Friday 15 August, Any Questions will be broadcast from REME Museum (Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Museum).
Meanwhile two-part audio drama Hersey's Hiroshima brings to life journalist John Hersey's searing account of the bombing of Hiroshima and its aftermath, drawing on interviews with survivors, and for Book at Bedtime, Tim McInnerny reads Nobel Prize-winner Kazuo Ishiguro's classic 1986 novel, set in post-WWII Japan.
The History Podcast: The Second Map (from Friday 15 August) 鈥� Award-winning journalist Kavita Puri presents a three-part series uncovering Britain鈥檚 role in the war against Japan, featuring never-before-heard testimonies from veterans, civilians, and their descendants.
Archive on 4: Exposing Hiroshima (Saturday 2 August) 鈥� The extraordinary story of reporter Wilfred Burchett, who defied U.S. censorship to reveal the devastating effects of the atomic bomb.
Drama on 4: Hersey鈥檚 Hiroshima (Sunday 10 August) 鈥� A two-part audio drama bringing to life John Hersey鈥檚 landmark account of the Hiroshima bombing, voiced by a distinguished cast.
Book at Bedtime (from Monday 4 August) 鈥� Tim McInnerny reads Kazuo Ishiguro鈥檚 An Artist of the Floating World, set in post-war Japan.
Any Questions? (Friday 15 August) 鈥� Special broadcast from the REME Museum to mark the anniversary.
蜜芽传媒 Radio 5 Live
Over on 蜜芽传媒 Radio 5 Live, the network will mark the occasion with special coverage of the commemorative event being held at the National Memorial Arboretum, as well as taking part in the national two minute silence.
Matt Chorley will broadcast a special show live from the Cabinet War Rooms - the former secret, underground British headquarters in the basement of a purpose-built government building, known today as Churchill War Rooms. Broadcasting on Wednesday 13 August, almost exactly 80 years after its doors were closed following Japan鈥檚 surrender at the end of WW2, Matt and a host of special guests will have incredible behind the scenes access to the site which includes Churchill鈥檚 bedroom, kitchen & the 蜜芽传媒鈥檚 broadcast room.
VJ Day on 蜜芽传媒 Sounds
The History Podcast: The Second Map
Launching on 蜜芽传媒 Sounds to mark the 80th anniversary of VJ Day, The History Podcast: The Second Map is a powerful new three-part podcast from Radio 4 and World Service which tells the overlooked history of Britain鈥檚 role in the war against Japan on the Asian front during World War Two.
Created and presented by Kavita Puri, the multi award-winning journalist behind Three Million and Partition Voices, the brand new series hears remarkable testimonies from British, Indian, and Japanese soldiers and civilians who were there, as well as former prisoners of war, and civilian internees. It also includes new accounts from descendants of those involved from across Britain, who are uncovering their family members鈥� long-buried stories of heroism, imprisonment, and survival.
We may know about Pearl Harbor and how the war against Japan ended with the US atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But in popular memory, what happened in between is less well-known. Even at the time, the Fourteenth Army - which fought at the pivotal battles of the Burma campaign, and was made up of almost a million men, was known as the 鈥渇orgotten army.鈥� Yet it was a war that many thousands of Britons fought in, as well as hundreds of thousands of British colonial subjects. Remembrance of it today is complex in Britain, India and Japan.
Kavita Puri, presenter of The Second Map, says, 鈥淭he war against Nazi Germany has understandably come to dominate our collective memory of World War Two. But we often overlook Britain鈥檚 war against Japan which is a far more complicated story: one of empire, crushing defeat and later victory. In Britain today, there are many thousands of homes where a family member was part of the war on the Asian front, which was fought in jungles, and difficult terrain, in some of the most significant battles of the war. 80 years on, I was lucky enough to speak to some of the few people left who were witnesses to that time, as well as uncover in the archive voices - British, Indian and Japanese - who were there. I also heard from descendants across the country who are uncovering their family member鈥檚 past of heroism, resilience and heartbreak鈥�.
Daniel Clarke, Factual Commissioning Editor at Radio 4, says, 鈥樷�楢s we approach the 80th anniversary of VJ Day, it is a privilege to announce this new series of The History Podcast from multi award-winning journalist Kavita Puri, which includes never-before-heard accounts from Britain鈥檚 involvement in the war against Japan on the Asian front, from those who were there. Thank you to Kavita and her team for another eye-opening and thought-provoking series, excavating lost voices, and showing how they continue to reverberate powerfully into the present.鈥�
The History Podcast: The Second Map is a Radio 4 and World Service podcast, available on 蜜芽传媒 Sounds from Friday 15 August.
VJ Day across 蜜芽传媒 News
蜜芽传媒 Breakfast and 蜜芽传媒 News at One
蜜芽传媒 Breakfast and the 蜜芽传媒 News at One will be honouring the men and women who fought and served in East Asia. We鈥檒l hear the stories of those who are still alive, and we鈥檒l be live at the National Memorial Arboretum where the main service will take place.
蜜芽传媒 News at Six and Ten
On Friday 15 August, 蜜芽传媒 News at Six and Ten will be presented from the National Memorial Arboretum as the day is marked in the UK and around the world.
In the run-up to the day itself, they鈥檒l be running a series of interviews with veterans, and those who took part in the VJ Day celebrations.
蜜芽传媒 News website
The 蜜芽传媒 News website will cover special events at the Arboretum with a dedicated live page updated throughout the day.
VJ Day 80: We Were There - Wednesday 13 August, 9pm on 蜜芽传媒 Two
As the nation marks the 80th anniversary of VJ Day, the 蜜芽传媒 has gathered first-hand accounts from our last veterans 鈥� many now more than 100 years old. Rachel Burden traces their stories from the invasion of British Malaya to the horror of Hiroshima and Japan's surrender in August 1945. Former prisoners of war forced to work on the notorious Burma Railroad speak about their brutal treatment and the punishing conditions they endured. Rachel speaks to one woman who was a 10-year-old child prisoner in Singapore as well as servicemen who had fought in Europe but were then deployed to India and the Far East for the final months of the Second World War.
The "We Were There" project by 蜜芽传媒 News has captured the testimony of war veterans throughout the 80th anniversaries of the Second World War since 2019 to form an archive of their voices for future generations.
VJ Day across Children鈥檚 and Education
Newsround
Newsround will feature explainers on VJ Day, the war in the East, as well as the national commemorations taking place. Coverage will also include Newsround presenters speaking to UK children about their relatives who fought in the British Army of India on the Burma Front.
蜜芽传媒 Archive
To commemorate the 80th anniversary of VJ Day, 蜜芽传媒 Archive have curated content from across TV, Radio, Written and Photo collections to feature in special programming. Highlights include contemporary audio announcements, news, and personal testimonies, which can be heard as part of The Second Map, a Radio 4 VJ Day documentary from Kavita Puri and Ellie House, as well as in two new episodes of Witness History, a World Service production. A film from the 蜜芽传媒 Northern Ireland Archive, containing first hand footage of the Burma Campaign, has been digitised and made available as well as a trove of never-before-seen images from the Written Archive, which capture the final days of fighting in the Pacific Theatre and the first few months of life post-war in Hong Kong, China, and Japan.
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