Home Front (BBC radio series)
Home Front is a radio drama series that began broadcasting on BBC Radio 4 on August 4, 2014.[1] Set exactly one hundred years before the date of broadcast, Home Front tells the story of the First World War from the perspective of those managing life in wartime Britain. It is a key offering the BBC’s First World War commemorations and is planned to run until November 11th 2018, the centenary of the Armistice.[2]
Each twelve minute episode tells a fictional story set against a background of historical truth with at least one historical ‘fact of the day’ built into each episode. Each episode follows one character’s day. Together, they build into a mosaic of experience from a wide cross section of British society. Episodes are broadcast Monday to Friday at 12 noon on BBC Radio 4, with an omnibus edition on Fridays at 21:00. There will be fifteen seasons in total, each season with a subtitle and a particular theme. Seasons average at eight weeks, with an eight week gap between. All individual episodes and omnibuses are available for download as podcasts and will remain so for at least the duration of the First World War commemorations.[3]
The first season received generally favourable press coverage.[4][5][6]
The editor is Jessica Dromgoole, who shares the direction with producer Lucy Collingwood. For Seasons One and Two, Ciaran Bermingham and Sarah Morrison were production co-ordinators, the assistant producer was Leo McGann and the studio manager Martha Littlehailes.
Home Front was recorded in Studio 9D, BBC Mailbox, Birmingham.
Season One
Season One of Home Front, subtitled The Lost Boys, was first broadcast between August 4, 2014 and 3 October 2014. It is set in Folkestone, a fashionable Edwardian seaside resort that quickly became one of the hubs of the military machine and close enough to France to hear the fighting. The Lead Writer on Season One was Katie Hims with Episode Writers Sebastian Baczkiewicz, Sarah Daniels and Shaun McKenna.
Season Two
Season Two, subtitled What Will You Do? was broadcast from 1 December 2014 until 9 January 2015. It is, once again, set in Folkestone. The Lead Writer on Season Two was Katie Hims with Episode Writers Sarah Daniels and Shaun McKenna.
Season Three
In Season Three, subtitled A New Deal, the action moved to Tynemouth and the focus shifted to war industry in the factories and shipyards of the North East. It was broadcast from 2 February 2015 until 27 March 2015. The Lead Writer was Shaun McKenna with Episode Writers Richard Monks, Melissa Murray and Sarah Daniels.