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Alan Bleasdale returns to 91Èȱ¬ for Laconia on 91Èȱ¬ Two
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Acclaimed British writer Alan Bleasdale (Boys From The
Blackstuff; GBH) returns to the 91Èȱ¬ with Laconia, a powerful
new two-part drama for 91Èȱ¬ Two based on factual accounts of the
attack and sinking of RMS Laconia in September 1942.
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Produced by
talkbackTHAMES (The Apprentice, The Bill, Capturing Mary) and
Teamworx for 91Èȱ¬ Wales, the 2ÌýxÌý90-minute drama will explore the human
side of the story, which later became known as "The Laconia
Incident".
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At 10pm on 12 September 1942, German U-Boat U-156 torpedoed
and sunk the armed British vessel RMS Laconia.
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Believing he had
scored one of the greatest military coups of maritime warfare in
the Second World War, Lt Commander Werner Hartenstein acted beyond the call of
duty – and against orders from the Nazi high command – in
undertaking a daring rescue operation when he discovered the ship
he had just sunk was in fact carrying large numbers of civilians
and thousands of Italian prisoners-of-war.
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The extraordinary events which
followed saw Hartenstein put out a personal plea for assistance
in shepherding Laconia survivors – be they British, Italian or
Polish – towards safety.
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Cramming 200 individuals onto
the top of his surface-level submarine, and draping his gun-decks with Red Cross flags, the story took a second tragic
twist when they were spotted and mistaken for duplicitous enemy
subs by US Lieutenant James D Harden's B-24 Liberator bomber.
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Given the order to "sink subs" from his superior, Lt Harden's
subsequent actions put many original survivors of the Laconia
sinking back in peril.
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Laconia will take a human look at this epic story which changed
the course of maritime warfare forever.
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Jane Tranter, Controller, 91Èȱ¬ Fiction, says: "Laconia is a
powerful and compelling story and we're delighted to be bringing
it to 91Èȱ¬ Two, along with the esteemed storytelling talents of
Alan Bleasdale."
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Having started his career as a writer of radio drama for his
local station, 91Èȱ¬ Radio Merseyside, in 1971, Bleasdale forged a
name for himself in the Eighties as a prolific social commentator
with dramas like Scully (dramatised on Channel 4 following
original broadcasts on 91Èȱ¬ Radio) and Boys From The Blackstuff (91Èȱ¬ Television).
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His last project for the corporation was The Monocled Mutineer in 1986, which was his first historical piece and a critically-acclaimed representation of the brutalities and reality of the First World
War.
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Alan Bleasdale comments: "This is an astonishing tale of bravery,
humanity, warmth and near madness in the face of facism and the
cruelty of war.
There have been nightmares along the way but every writer must
dream of being given a story such as this."
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Roly Keating, Controller, 91Èȱ¬ Two, comments: "Alan Bleasdale has
written some of the classic pieces of TV drama, including Boys
From The Blackstuff on 91Èȱ¬ Two, so it is fantastic to be able to
bring his hugely ambitious new work to the channel."
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Laconia will start filming in Autumn 2008 in Germany and Malta
for transmission on 91Èȱ¬ Two in 2009.
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Laconia is a talkbackTHAMES Production in association with
Teamworx and ARD.
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The executive producer for talkbackTHAMES is
Johnathan Young, the company's Head of Drama, and the executive
producer for the 91Èȱ¬ is Julie Gardner, Head of Drama, 91Èȱ¬ Wales.
For Teamworx, the executive producer is Nico Hoffman and the
producer is Klaus Zimmermann.
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Laconia was commissioned for 91Èȱ¬ Two by Jane Tranter and Roly Keating.
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Laconia follows in the footsteps of compelling 91Èȱ¬ Two dramas
including Stuart: A Life Backwards and Filth: The Mary Whitehouse
Story, and the forthcoming stage adaptations for television,
David Hare's My Zinc Bed starring Uma Thurman, and Caryl
Churchill's A Number starring Rhys Ifans and Tom Wilkinson, as
well as Peter Moffat's Einstein And Eddington starring David
Tennant and Andy Serkis.
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