NEW DRAMA

World on Fire

Sunday, BBC1 HD, 9pm

From Germany’s invasion of

Poland to the Battle of Britain,

BBC1’s wartime drama World on

Fire provides a powerful new

perspective on the conflict as it

starts to tear Europe apart.

Written by BAFTA-winning

scribe Peter Bowker, the landmark

seven-part series is set during the

first year of the Allies’ struggle to

defeat Hitler. The multi-stranded

saga tells tales of love, loss and

friendship as it follows ordinary

people caught up in a war

that threatens everything

they hold dear.

This week’s first

episode opens in

1939 as Warsaw

falls to the Nazis,

with events seen

through the eyes of

Harry Chase (Jonah

Hauer-King), an

English translator

stationed at the city’s

British embassy.

CHANGING WORLD

News of the invasion

soon reaches Harry’s

sweetheart, talented

singer Lois (Julia

Brown), back in

Manchester. Yet,

unbeknown to her,

Harry has fallen

in love with local

Polish girl Kasia

(Zofia Wichlacz)

after meeting in a

Warsaw cafe.

However, the

couple’s budding

romance is turned

upside down when

the Germans invade

Poland, and Harry

returns to Britain to

join the Army.

The all-star cast

includes Oscar-winner

Helen Hunt as intrepid

US reporter Nancy

Campbell, who is

based in Berlin,

Lesley Manville as

Harry’s mother,

Robina, and Sean

Bean, who plays

Douglas, Lois’ father.

Douglas served in

the trenches during World War

One and suffered shell shock

following a mustard gas attack.

Haunted by memories and

This week on TV

L

o

v

e

and

Sean Bean stars in a sweeping new drama

about the first months of World War Two

Harry (Jonah Hauer-King), Lois

(Julia Brown), Douglas (Sean Bean)

and Robina (Lesley Manville)