war drama
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-gen ...
television series created by
Peter Bowker
Peter Bowker (born 5 January 1959) is a British playwright and screenwriter. He is best known for the television serials ''Blackpool'' (2004), a musical drama about a shady casino owner; ''Occupation'' (2009), which follows three military servic ...
. Set in the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the series follows the intertwined lives of ordinary civilians across Europe who are caught up in World War II.
Plot
The series follows the hidden lives of ordinary people from Britain, Poland, France, Germany and the United States during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. The drama switches its scenes between various locations in France, Britain, Germany and Poland. It features repeated visits to
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
,
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
,
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
,
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
and
Dunkirk
Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.Jonah Hauer-King as Harry Chase, an interpreter at the British embassy in Warsaw who is later commissioned into the British Army, and joins the
SOE SOE may refer to:
Organizations
* State-owned enterprise
* Special Operations Executive, a British World War II clandestine sabotage and resistance organisation
** Special Operations Executive in the Netherlands, or Englandspiel
* Society of Opera ...
.
*
Helen Hunt
Helen Elizabeth Hunt (born June 15, 1963) is an American actress and director. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, four Primetime Emmy Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards.
Hunt rose to fame portraying Jam ...
as Nancy Campbell, an American journalist struggling to broadcast the truth from Berlin.
* Sean Bean as Douglas Bennett, a bus conductor, pacifist and
shell-shocked
Shell shock is a term coined in World War I by the British psychologist Charles Samuel Myers to describe the type of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) many soldiers were afflicted with during the war (before PTSD was termed). It is a react ...
veteran of the
Battle of the Somme
The Battle of the Somme ( French: Bataille de la Somme), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place bet ...
, and father to Lois and Tom.
*
Lesley Manville
Lesley Ann Manville (born 12 March 1956) is an English actress known for her frequent collaborations with Mike Leigh, appearing in the films ''Grown-Ups'' (1980), '' High Hopes'' (1988), '' Secrets & Lies'' (1996), ''Topsy-Turvy'' (1999), '' A ...
as Robina Chase, Harry's wealthy and emotionally repressed mother.
* Julia Brown as Lois Bennett, a 21-year-old factory worker and talented singer who later joins the
Entertainments National Service Association
The Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA) was an organisation established in 1939 by Basil Dean and Leslie Henson to provide entertainment for British armed forces personnel during World War II. ENSA operated as part of the Navy, ...
.
*
Zofia Wichłacz
Zofia Wichłacz (Polish pronunciation: ; born 5 April 1995) is a Polish actress. She has appeared in films such as ''Warsaw 44'' and '' Afterimage'', and television programmes such as ''Medics'', '' The Romanoffs'' and '' World on Fire''.
Early ...
as Kasia Tomaszeski, a waitress from Warsaw, with whose family Harry lodges, who later joins the Polish Resistance
*
Brian J. Smith
Brian Jacob Smith (born October 12, 1981) is an American actor, known for his role as Will Gorski in the Netflix-produced series ''Sense8,'' Lieutenant Matthew Scott in the military science fiction television series ''Stargate Universe'', and h ...
as Webster O'Connor, a gay American doctor based in Paris and Nancy's nephew.
*
Parker Sawyers
Parker Sawyers (born May 24, 1984) is an American actor.
Career
His first leading film role was starring as a young Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th presid ...
as Albert Fallou, a Parisian jazz saxophonist and Webster's lover.
*
Blake Harrison
Blake Harrison is an English actor, comedian and dancer. He is best known for playing Neil Sutherland in the BAFTA-winning E4 comedy ''The Inbetweeners'' and more recently as 'Medium' Dan, in the ITV sitcom Kate & Koji since 2020.
Career
H ...
as Sergeant Stan Raddings, Harry's platoon sergeant.
*
Ewan Mitchell
Ewan Robert Mitchell is an English actor. He is known for his roles in the ITV period drama ''The Halcyon'' (2017), the medieval series ''The Last Kingdom'' (2017–2022), the BBC war drama '' World on Fire'' (2019–), and the HBO fantasy se ...
as Tom Bennett, Lois's older brother, a petty criminal who later joins the Royal Navy.
* Mateusz Więcławek as Grzegorz Tomaszeski, Kasia's sickly younger brother who joins the Polish army with his father.
* Eugénie Derouand as Henriette Guilbert, a nurse at Webster's hospital in Paris, secretly Jewish.
as Connie Knight, a close friend, colleague and musical partner of Lois.
*
Max Riemelt
Max Riemelt (born 7 January 1984) is a German actor, known internationally for playing Wolfgang Bogdanow in the Netflix series ''Sense8''. In Germany, he is known for many years of television and cinema both acting and directing.
Career
Rieme ...
as Schmidt, Nancy's Nazi censor and minder in Berlin.
* Eryk Biedunkiewicz as Jan Tomaszeski, Kasia's youngest brother, a schoolboy.
* Johannes Zeiler as Uwe Rossler, Claudia's husband who runs a textile firm.
* Victoria Mayer as Claudia Rossler, a German mother living in Berlin, struggling to contain the secret of her daughter's epilepsy.
*
Tomasz Ziętek
Tomasz Ziętek (born 28 June 1989, Inowrocław) is a Polish film and theatre actor as well as musician and guitarist.
Life and career
Ziętek was born on 7 May 1989 in Inowrocław. He graduated from the Bolesław III Wrymouth High School No. 1 in ...
as Tomasz, a colleague of Kasia in the resistance.
* Dora Zyogouri, the epileptic daughter of Victoria and Uwe.
*
Ansu Kabia
Ansu Kabia is a British actor. He attended the Drama Centre London and was a former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company Ensemble. He is best known for his starring role in the British period detective series '' Miss Scarlet & the Duke'' as th ...
as Eddie Knight, Connie's husband, a jazz trumpeter.
*
Borys Szyc
Borys Michał Szyc-Michalak (; born Borys Michalak; 4 September 1978) is a Polish film and theatre actor and musician.
Life and career
He was born in Łódź, Poland. He graduated from High School No. 26 in Łódź. In 2001, he graduated from Wa ...
as Konrad, a Polish army soldier.
* Matthew Aubrey as Private Taffy Morgan, a member of Harry's platoon.
* Cealleach Spellman as Private Joe Broughton, a member of Harry’s Platoon from
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
.
* Arthur Darvill as Wing Commander Vernon Hunter, an RAF fighter pilot.
* Bruno Alexander as Klaus Rossler, Claudia and Uwe's son, a German soldier.
* Helene Grass as Frau Pessler, one of Uwe's employees, a committed Nazi.
* Benjamin Wainwright as Randy O'Connor, an American fighter pilot in Vernon's squadron and Webster’s brother.
*
Jack Deam
Jack Deam (born Ian Deam; 1972) is an English actor. He used his grandfather's name for his stage name. His most notable performances have been as the pyromaniac Marty Fisher, who has Tourette syndrome, in Channel 4's comedy drama series, '' S ...
as Ted, manager of Lois and Connie's ENSA unit.
*
Agata Kulesza
Agata Kulesza-Figurska (; born 27 September 1971) is a Polish film, television and stage actress, and a member of the Polish Film Academy.
as Maria Tomaszeski, Stefan's wife and mother of Kasia, Grzegorz and Jan.
* Buom Tihngang as Demba, a Senegalese soldier who Harry meets in France.
*
Charlie Creed-Miles
Charlie Creed-Miles (born 24 March 1972) is an English actor and musician.
Creed-Miles was born in Nottingham, and had his first starring screen role, aged 21, in ''The Punk'' (1993). His brief relationship with actress Samantha Morton
Sam ...
as David Walker, Harry's superior at the Warsaw embassy.
* Prasanna Puwanarajah as Major Taylor.
* Matthew Roamin as Geoff, a shellshocked soldier Harry encounters in France.
* Patrick Kennedy as Campbell.
* Tomasz Kot as Stefan Tomaszeski, a veteran of
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
and father of Kasia, Jan and Grzegorz who rejoins the Polish army.
* Jonathan McGuiness as
Sir Oswald Mosley
Sir Oswald Ernald Mosley, 6th Baronet (16 November 1896 – 3 December 1980) was a British politician during the 1920s and 1930s who rose to fame when, having become disillusioned with mainstream politics, he turned to fascism. He was a member ...
*
Benedict Taylor
Benedict Sean Taylor (born 18 April 1960) is a British actor.
Taylor was born in Hampstead, London, the eldest of six children of father, Richard, a documentary film maker, and Allegra, a writer. Taylor lived in Nigeria until 1965 and then wa ...
as Dr Drake, head of a mental hospital in Manchester.
Episodes
Series 1 (2019)
Production
The seven-part series was commissioned by the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
in October 2017, with
Peter Bowker
Peter Bowker (born 5 January 1959) is a British playwright and screenwriter. He is best known for the television serials ''Blackpool'' (2004), a musical drama about a shady casino owner; ''Occupation'' (2009), which follows three military servic ...
writing. Casting began in October 2018, with
Helen Hunt
Helen Elizabeth Hunt (born June 15, 1963) is an American actress and director. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, four Primetime Emmy Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards.
Hunt rose to fame portraying Jam ...
and
Lesley Manville
Lesley Ann Manville (born 12 March 1956) is an English actress known for her frequent collaborations with Mike Leigh, appearing in the films ''Grown-Ups'' (1980), '' High Hopes'' (1988), '' Secrets & Lies'' (1996), ''Topsy-Turvy'' (1999), '' A ...
amongst the first additions and filming beginning in
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
. Sean Bean was cast in November.
Filming took place in
Chester
Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...
in November 2018,
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
in March 2019 and also included other locations such as
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
,
Lytham St. Annes
Lytham St Annes () is a seaside town in the Borough of Fylde in Lancashire, England. It is on the Fylde coast, directly south of Blackpool on the Ribble Estuary. The population at the 2011 census was 42,954. The town is almost contiguous with ...
,
Wigan
Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas, Lancashire, River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the nor ...
and Lyme Park.
Series two began filming on 13 July 2022 in
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...
,
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
, delayed due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.
Lesley Manville
Lesley Ann Manville (born 12 March 1956) is an English actress known for her frequent collaborations with Mike Leigh, appearing in the films ''Grown-Ups'' (1980), '' High Hopes'' (1988), '' Secrets & Lies'' (1996), ''Topsy-Turvy'' (1999), '' A ...
Zofia Wichlacz
Zofia is a Slavic names, Slavic given name of Old Greek origin, meaning wisdom. It is a variant of Sophia (name), Sofia. Famous people with the name Zofia:
*Anna Zofia Sapieha (1799–1864)
*Maria Zofia Sieniawska
*Zofia Albinowska-Minkiewiczowa (1 ...
,
Blake Harrison
Blake Harrison is an English actor, comedian and dancer. He is best known for playing Neil Sutherland in the BAFTA-winning E4 comedy ''The Inbetweeners'' and more recently as 'Medium' Dan, in the ITV sitcom Kate & Koji since 2020.
Career
H ...
, Eugénie Derouand, Eryk Biedunkiewicz and Cealleach Spellman were all confirmed to be returning, while
Mark Bonnar
Richard Mark Bonnar (born 19 November 1968) is a Scottish actor. He is known for his roles as Max in ''Guilt'', Duncan Hunter in ''Shetland'', Bruno Jenkins in ''Casualty'', Detective Finney in ''Psychoville'', DCC Mike Dryden in ''Line of Duty ...
,
Ahad Raza Mir
Ahad Raza Mir ( ur, ; born 29 September 1993) is a Pakistani actor who appears in Urdu television series. He has established a career in Pakistan and is the recipient of several awards including Lux Style Awards.
Mir earned recognition with ...
Parker Sawyers
Parker Sawyers (born May 24, 1984) is an American actor.
Career
His first leading film role was starring as a young Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th presid ...
and
Ewan Mitchell
Ewan Robert Mitchell is an English actor. He is known for his roles in the ITV period drama ''The Halcyon'' (2017), the medieval series ''The Last Kingdom'' (2017–2022), the BBC war drama '' World on Fire'' (2019–), and the HBO fantasy se ...
were confirmed to be returning by December. Filming wrapped in September, with reshoots occurring the following December.
Ratings
Critical reception
''World on Fire'' was reviewed positively by Lucy Mangan of ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
''. The historical accuracy of some elements of the series, however, was criticised by some reviewers, including columnist Peter Hitchens.