
1. A War Footing
4 Extra Debut. Ed Stourton describes the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½â€™s wartime journey, the boredom of the Phoney War and the reporter’s experiences. From 2018.
The ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ 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 ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½'s wartime journey, investigating archives, diaries, letters and memoirs to examine what the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ was and what it stood for.
In this first episode, Ed describes how the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ 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 ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½'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 ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½'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.
Read by Edward Stourton
Abridged in five parts by Anna Magnusson.
Producer: Pippa Vaughan
A Loftus production for ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Radio 4, first broadcast in January 2018.
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Credits
Role | Contributor |
---|---|
Reader | Edward Stourton |
Author | Edward Stourton |
Abridger | Anna Magnusson |
Producer | Pippa Vaughan |
Broadcasts
- Mon 8 Jan 2018 09:45ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Radio 4 FM
- Tue 9 Jan 2018 00:30ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Radio 4
- Mon 7 Nov 2022 14:00ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Radio 4 Extra
- Tue 8 Nov 2022 02:00ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Radio 4 Extra