''The Passing Bells'' is a five-part British-Polish television drama that was first broadcast on BBC One in 2014. The series is set during World War I and was a part of the

BBC First World War centenary season The BBC World War I centenary season was the marking of the centenary of the First World War across the BBC. Programming started in 2014 and lasted until 2018, corresponding to 100 years after the war. The BBC season included 130 newly-commission ...

. It shows events through the eyes of two very ordinary teenagers, one from England and one from Germany, who enlist in the war, which they expect will be over within months. The drama stars Patrick Gibson and Jack Lowden, and was written by Tony Jordan and directed by Brendan Maher.

Plot

The series operates in parallel as it follows two teenagers in two countries, one German ( Jack Lowden) and one British ( Patrick Gibson), who sign up as soldiers at the outbreak of the First World War. The plot covers the time period from just prior to the war to its conclusion. The story includes the boys' families, their love interests, and the friends and comrades they make during the war. It reveals the toll the war takes on the two young men and their fellow soldiers as it lasts far longer than expected, and grows harsher and more meaningless. The two soldiers encounter each other at certain points, including at the conclusion of the war.

Cast

* Patrick Gibson – Tommy Edwards, a teen in England who enjoys sketching birds * Jack Lowden – Michael Lang, a carefree teen in Germany *

Erika Kaar Erika Kaar, born Erika Marta Karkuszewska, is a Polish actress. Career In 2018, she graduated from the Aleksander Zelwerowicz National Academy of Dramatic Art in Warsaw. Kaar's first screen role was in the 2014 BBC miniseries ''The Passing Bell ...

– Joanna, a young Polish nurse Tommy meets when wounded *

Sabrina Bartlett Sabrina Lois Bartlett (born September 1991) is an English actress. She is known for her roles in the BBC One miniseries ''The Passing Bells'' (2014), the third series of the ITV drama ''Victoria'' (2019), and the first series of ''Knightfall'' (2 ...

– Katie, Michael's girlfriend in Germany *Brian Fletcher – Derek, a frightened underage British recruit Tommy takes under his wing *

Jennifer Hennessy Jennifer Hennessy (born Jennifer Hayes in 1970) is an English actress. She has made numerous television appearances, including as Mrs. Brazendale in the BBC TV series ''Lilies''. Hennessy trained for three years at the Central School of Speech ...

– Susan Lang, Michael's mother * Simon Kunz – William Lang, Michael's farmer father * Amanda Drew – Annie Edwards, Tommy's mother * Alex Ferns – David Edwards, Tommy's father *Hubert Burton – Cyril, a young British soldier who tries to keep things humorous *Matthew Aubrey – Kenny Bond, a British soldier who becomes a corporal *Wilf Scolding – Freddie, a young German soldier *Mark Burghagen – Erich, a gruff and defeatist German soldier * Adam Long – Anthony, a young British soldier *Ben McGregor – Kevin, a young British soldier *Felix Auer – Lanzo, a young German soldier

Production

The series was announced by the BBC in October 2013, along with other programmes that played a part in the BBC World War I centenary season. It was a Red Planet Production with

BBC Worldwide BBC Worldwide Ltd. was the wholly owned commercial subsidiary of the BBC, formed out of a restructuring of its predecessor BBC Enterprises in January 1995. The company monetises BBC brands, selling BBC and other British programming for broadcas ...

as the distributor. Filming took place in Poland. Telewizja Polska and

Apple Film Production Apple Film Production is one of the first and leading independent production companies in Poland. It was founded in 1990 by Dariusz Jablonski, a graduate of the directing department of Lodz Film School, assistant to Krzysztof Kieslowski on ''Dek ...

were co-producers. The series aired in the pre-

watershed Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...

time-slot of 7pm, and the script was written for a younger audience and family viewing. The title was taken from the first line of Wilfred Owen's 1917 poem, " Anthem for Doomed Youth": "What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?"

Broadcast and home video

The series was broadcast on five consecutive days on BBC 1 beginning on 3 November 2014. In

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, the series premiered on BBC First on 28 May 2015. The Region 2 DVD was released on 10 November 2014. The streaming video is available on various services.

References

External links

* *
Trailer''The Passing Bells''
on Vimeo {{DEFAULTSORT:Passing-Bells, The BBC television dramas 2010s British drama television series 2014 British television series debuts 2014 British television series endings Television shows set in the United Kingdom English-language television shows World War I television drama series Centenary of the outbreak of World War I