The Passing Bells
| The Passing Bells | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover | |
| Genre |
Miniseries[1] Drama[1] War[1] |
| Written by | Tony Jordan |
| Directed by | Brendan Maher |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 5 |
| Production | |
| Location(s) | Poland |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Red Planet Pictures |
| Distributor | BBC Worldwide, TVP (Poland) |
| Release | |
| Original network |
|
| Original release | 3 November 2014[2][3] – 7 November 2014[3] |
| External links | |
| Website | |
The Passing Bells is a British-Polish television drama series that was first broadcast on BBC One. The series is set during World War I and is a part of the BBC First World War centenary season.[4]
It shows events through the eyes of two very ordinary young men, one from England and one from Germany, who enlist in a war they expect will be over within months.[4] The five-part drama was written by Tony Jordan and directed by Brendan Maher.[4][5][6][7]
Cast
- Jack Lowden – Michael Lang, a carefree teen in Germany
- Paddy Gibson – Tommy Edwards, a teen in England who enjoys sketching birds
- Erika Kaar – Joanna, a young Polish nurse Tommy meets when wounded
- Sabrina Bartlett – Katie, Michael's girlfriend in Germany
- Brian Fletcher – Derek, a frightened underage British recruit Tommy takes under his wing
- Jennifer Hennessy – Susan Lang, Michael's mother
- Simon Kunz – William Lang, Michael's farmer father
- Amanda Drew – Annie Edwards, Tommy's mother
- Alex Ferns – David Edwards, Tommy's father
- Hubert Burton – Cyril, a young British soldier who tries to keep things humourous
- Matthew Aubrey – Kenny Bond, a British soldier who becomes a corporal
- Adam Long – Anthony, a young British soldier
- Ben McGregor – Kevin
Plot
The series operates in parallel as it follows two teenagers in two countries, one German (Lowden) and one British (Gibson), who sign up as soldiers at the outbreak of the First World War. The plot covers the time from just prior to the war to its conclusion.
The story includes the boys' families, their love interests, and the friends and comrades they make during the war. It reveals the toll the war takes on the two young men and their fellow soldiers as it lasts far longer than expected, and grows harsher and more meaningless. The two soldiers encounter each other at certain points, including at the conclusion of the war.
Production
The series was announced by the BBC in October 2013, along with other programmes that played a part in the BBC World War I centenary season.[4] It was a Red Planet Production with BBC Worldwide as the distributor.[8] Filming took place in Poland. Telewizja Polska and Apple Film Production were co-producers.[9][10][11]
The series aired in the pre-watershed time-slot of 7pm, and the script was written for a younger audience and family viewing.[12] The title was taken from the first line of Wilfred Owen's poem, Anthem for Doomed Youth: "What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?"[13]
Broadcast
The series was broadcast on five consecutive days on BBC 1 beginning on 3 November 2014.[14] In Australia, the series premiered on BBC First on 28 May 2015.[15]
References
- 1 2 3 The Passing Bells at the Internet Movie Database
- ↑ http://www.tvwise.co.uk/2014/10/bbc-one-sets-premiere-date-wwi-drama-passing-bells/
- 1 2 The Passing Bells – Episodes at the BBC
- 1 2 3 4 "The Passing-Bells". BBC. 16 October 2013. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
- ↑ "The BBC announces its four-year World War One Centenary season". BBC. 16 October 2013. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
- ↑ Burrell, Ian (13 October 2013). "WW1 beyond the mud and trenches: BBC’s plans for the centenary of World War One". The Independent. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
- ↑ Conlan, Tara (16 October 2013). "BBC to mark first world war centenary with biggest TV season to date". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
- ↑ "BBC Worldwide and Apple Film Production Broker Deal With Polish Broadcaster TVP to co-produce The Passing Bells". BBC Worldwide. 27 February 2014. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
- ↑ Barraclough, Leo (27 February 2014). "BBC Worldwide, Poland’s TVP to Shoot World War I Drama ‘The Passing Bells’". Variety. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
- ↑ Kemp, Stuart (27 February 2014). "BBC Worldwide Teams With Poland's TVP, Apple Film Production for World War I Drama". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
- ↑ "TVP joins The Passing Bells". C21 Media. 27 February 2014. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
- ↑ http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/the-passing-bells-bbc1-tv-review-the-first-world-war-drama-for-children-9844991.html
- ↑ "The Passing Bells - an interview with scriptwriter Tony Jordan". BBC. 5 November 2014.
- ↑ http://www.radiotimes.com/programme/c7kwm8/the-passing-bells
- ↑ "Foxtel in May: 200+ new shows including Wayward Pines, Open Slather, Nashville and River Cottage Australia". The Green Room. Foxtel. 29 April 2015. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
External links
- The Passing Bells – Official site
- The Passing Bells at the Internet Movie Database
- The Passing Bells on Vimeo