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World On Fire, BBC iPlayer

(89 Posts)
Jane43 Sun 02-Jul-23 22:42:25

Series two of this programme is being advertised on BBC as coming soon. I thought I would need to rewatch series one to remind myself of the story. I am currently doing this and I had forgotten how brilliant it was, Sean Bean and Lesley Manville are outstanding.

maddyone Mon 07-Aug-23 18:51:24

Well the lebensborn scheme certainly did exist. I don’t know what part of it is misrepresented on this programme, but possibly the age of the girls. But there’s no doubt that it existed. German women were also given medals for how many children they had. Nonetheless the lebensborn scheme pales into insignificance compared to other crimes the Nazis committed.

LaCrepescule Mon 07-Aug-23 18:43:50

My mother is German, born in 1931 so grew up in Nazi Germany. The Lebensborn plot line in the series isn’t based on fact which makes me quite cross. I wonder why the writers thought it was ok to distort history?

Calendargirl Mon 07-Aug-23 18:35:41

I find myself admiring Kasia’s immaculate hair.

It always looks beautifully styled and ‘swingy’, and quite a modern cut for the war years, I would think.

Never out of place, never looks greasy or messy, whatever she’s doing.

A real blonde bombshell.

Granmarderby10 Mon 31-Jul-23 12:32:47

Shame about the second series being a bit lame. I’ve only watched the first episode but will catchup and probably binge watch.
The first series had (I thought anyway) good quality acting and had a depth to it that made sense of the multi faceted story line.
I gleaned from episode one that Sean Beans character has died, his face now relegated to a small framed photograph on the side. No explanation, just hints and one instance of his character being referred to.
It’s as though the makers of this series have rationed the script as though they are in a hurry to get it all over with asap.😼

Glorianny Mon 31-Jul-23 11:00:45

I watched the first series and it was OK any inadequacies were compensated for by Sean Bean. Watched the first episode of the second series and gave up. Manchester wasn't heavily bombed. There were a couple of big raids. It's so easy now to look up these things.

merlotgran Mon 31-Jul-23 10:32:25

I’ve watched all of them now so I’m being careful not to give anything away but it’s a shame it’s so low budget. Nothing wrong with the individual story lines but six episodes is not long enough to do them all justice and it’s littered with inaccuracies.

Callistemon21 Mon 31-Jul-23 10:25:47

That's more or less what I said, Calendargirl!

"Of all the field hospitals in all the countries in all the world, she walks into mine”

Hope you used the appropriate accent when you said it 😁

Calendargirl Mon 31-Jul-23 10:20:12

What a stroke of luck that Lois just happened to be at the field hospital where Harry was.

‘In all the field hospitals in all of Egypt…..’

Callistemon21 Mon 31-Jul-23 10:06:39

fiorentina51

I watched the first series to the end and wasn't impressed. Thought I'd give series 2 a chance but gave up after the 2nd episode.
I'm not surprised Sean Bean wasn't in it. I'm guessing he gave up too.

He needed a strong cup of Yorkshire to recover from it!

fiorentina51 Mon 31-Jul-23 09:59:11

I watched the first series to the end and wasn't impressed. Thought I'd give series 2 a chance but gave up after the 2nd episode.
I'm not surprised Sean Bean wasn't in it. I'm guessing he gave up too.

merlotgran Mon 31-Jul-23 09:48:23

eazybee

The story is spread far too wide. I have a feeling several characters are going to end up in the field hospital in Tobruk, (if that is where it is.)
I knew the Nazis were trying to produce an Aryan master race, but was it really as calculated as that, with sixteen-year old girls? Like 'The Handmaid's Tale'.

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebensborn

Yes it was calculated. I believe it was another master plan from that monster Heinrich Himmler.

eazybee Mon 31-Jul-23 09:07:41

The story is spread far too wide. I have a feeling several characters are going to end up in the field hospital in Tobruk, (if that is where it is.)
I knew the Nazis were trying to produce an Aryan master race, but was it really as calculated as that, with sixteen-year old girls? Like 'The Handmaid's Tale'.

Calendargirl Mon 31-Jul-23 07:03:14

Felt like parts of last night’s episode resembled ‘Allo ‘Allo’, or a ‘Carry On’ film.

The first series seemed much more believable.

Callistemon21 Mon 24-Jul-23 19:25:45

vegansrock

Well the wobbly sets and the airfix model plane scenes are laughable, and the unanswered questions all through stretch the imagination. I know the subject matter isn’t funny, but the production isn’t exactly big budget and it shows. The demonstration of racism in the institutions is well done.

the production isn’t exactly big budget

I was thinking about that after watching the second episode.
This is so wide ranging, covering so many aspects of WW2 that this TV version doesn't do the whole concept any favours at all.

The idea deserved a much bigger budget and should perhaps have been a cinema film.

vegansrock Mon 24-Jul-23 18:27:19

Well the wobbly sets and the airfix model plane scenes are laughable, and the unanswered questions all through stretch the imagination. I know the subject matter isn’t funny, but the production isn’t exactly big budget and it shows. The demonstration of racism in the institutions is well done.

eazybee Mon 24-Jul-23 18:01:13

I am finding it confusing, particularly the German girls and the prisoner of war (?) camp and the Red Cross Nurse.
But I haven't found any of it a good laugh.

Clawdy Mon 24-Jul-23 17:59:25

Lois's Manchester accent does not sound right to me.

travelsafar Mon 24-Jul-23 17:57:22

Harry and Kasia have to be the most miserable people ever. Can't stand Harry's voice either, so rasping. Best actors are Lesley Maniville and the Scottish actor. Both show their wealth of experience in the acting world.

maddyone Mon 24-Jul-23 17:53:49

Thanks merlotgran, I’d forgotten that.

vegansrock Mon 24-Jul-23 13:00:43

I don’t know if it was last night, but we laughed at the German tank which resembled a Dalek, and the idea that there was only one.

merlotgran Mon 24-Jul-23 11:57:34

The biggest laugh for me last night was the Hurricane pilot being yelled at to EJECT!! 🤣🤣

merlotgran Mon 24-Jul-23 11:48:50

maddyone

Wasn’t there a family in Germany who had a disabled child in the last series? There’s no news about them in this series.

I think that storyline was neatly wrapped up at the end of series 1 with the murder/suicide of the mother and daughter. Goodness knows what happened to the father though as he he was already skating on thin ice.

No mention of the American journalist either. 🤔

maddyone Mon 24-Jul-23 11:06:35

Wasn’t there a family in Germany who had a disabled child in the last series? There’s no news about them in this series.

maddyone Mon 24-Jul-23 11:05:23

We watched the first series but had forgotten what had happened in it because such a long time has elapsed since it was on. Anyway we didn’t rewatch it and just started watching series two last week. I enjoy watching it but do find it a bit disjointed as it jumps from one place to another all the time. I suppose it’s in the title World on Fire, so they’re trying to show what was happening in different parts of the world but I find it all a bit contrived.

Callistemon21 Mon 24-Jul-23 10:45:35

He could be a fifth columnist or similar. (Not sure what that is, some sort of spy I think)
😁
I'm reading The Bullet That Missed at the moment, I'll let you know.