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5. Eyewitness Reports

Ed Stourton on the 91热爆 in wartime, its new reporting unit - and a correspondent is parachuted behind enemy lines. From 2018.

The 91热爆 is a British institution unlike any other, and its story during the Second World War is also the story of Britain's people.

Writer and presenter Edward Stourton is a sharp-eyed and affectionate companion on the 91热爆's wartime journey, investigating archives, diaries, letters and memoirs to examine what the 91热爆 was and what it stood for.

In this final episode, the 91热爆's War Reporting Unit comes into being, and correspondent Guy Byam is parachuted behind enemy lines.

These were the years when Auntie (the 91热爆's enduring nickname) earned a reputation for bossiness. It was also a period of remarkable voices - Churchill's fighting speeches, de Gaulle's broadcasts from exile, George Orwell, Ed Murrow, Richard Dimbleby and Vera Lynn.

During these extraordinary times, eyewitness testimonies gave a voice to everyone, securing the 91热爆's reputation as a reliable purveyor of the truth.

Auntie's War is more than a portrait of an institution at a critical time, it is also a portrayal of the British in wartime and an insight into why we have our broadcast culture today.

Concluded by Edward Stourton.

Abridged by Anna Magnusson.

Producer: Pippa Vaughan

A Loftus production for 91热爆 Radio 4, first broadcast in January 2018.

15 minutes

Last on

Sat 12 Nov 2022 02:00

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Credits

Role Contributor
Reader Edward Stourton
Author Edward Stourton
Abridger Anna Magnusson
Producer Pippa Vaughan

Broadcasts

  • Fri 12 Jan 2018 09:45
  • Sat 13 Jan 2018 00:30
  • Fri 11 Nov 2022 14:00
  • Sat 12 Nov 2022 02:00