Series 6 of the ITV programme ''
Foyle's War'' was first aired in 2010, beginning Sunday 11 April; comprising three episodes, it is set in the period from June to August 1945.
Episodes
"The Russian House"
Cast and characters
Foyle is still chasing retirement after his resignation at the end of "
All Clear
All clear is the signal, generally given by an civil defence siren, air raid siren, which indicates that an Strategic bombing, air raid or other hazard has finished and that it is safe for civilians to leave their air raid shelter, shelters; it is ...
," but his superiors are finding it hard to find his replacement. He gives them four weeks before he steps down for good. His former WW1 CO, Brigadier Timothy Wilson, arrives from the
War Office
The War Office has referred to several British government organisations throughout history, all relating to the army. It was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, at ...
to enlist his help with the search of a German sympathiser and ethnic Russian POW. Meanwhile, Milner, keen to step out of Foyle's shadow and prove himself as a detective, is now in Brighton with his new wife, Edie, and their recently born daughter, Clementine Elizabeth. Stewart has returned to civilian life and had just started working as a domestic for the well-to-do artist, Sir Leonard Spencer-Jones. Also at the artist's house is another anti-communist Russian POW, who is now the groundsman and serves as a witness to the murder. While staying at the London hotel where Spiakov was captured, Stewart befriends Adam Wainwright, who is shot in the shoulder during the attempted hit on Foyle. When Sam visits him in the hospital, she offers to help him at the Hastings guesthouse he recently inherited.
Background and production
The major theme of this episode is the emerging effects of the
Cold War
The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
in post-war Britain, and the commencement of the
repatriation of enemy combatants from the UK. For Russian combatants – particularly for enemy sympathisers, anti-communists, and those with knowledge of atrocities – the pending deportation situation was bleak. Part of the plot, therefore, centres on members of the
Russian Liberation Movement (aka "
White Russians"), who are seeking to avoid
repatriation to the USSR. In this context, mention is also made of the ''Almanzora'', a ship used by the British to transport returnees to
Odessa
ODESSA is an American codename (from the German language, German: ''Organisation der ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen'', meaning: Organization of Former SS Members) coined in 1946 to cover Ratlines (World War II aftermath), Nazi underground escape-pl ...
, during the
repatriation of Cossacks after World War II (and in which ex-troops from the
West Indies
The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...
immigrated to Britain in 1947). The show should not be confused with the 1989 novel, ''
The Russia House'', by
John le Carré
David John Moore Cornwell (19 October 193112 December 2020), better known by his pen name John le Carré ( ), was a British author, best known for his espionage novels, many of which were successfully adapted for film or television. A "sophist ...
; however, it is also important to note that Michael Kitchen starred in the
1990 film adaptation of Le Carré's novel.
"Killing Time"
Cast and characters
Foyle continues his work at the Hastings Police Station, where he opposes a racial segregation order at the town council, and in his spare time, continues his hobby of fly fishing. Foyle is supported by a new assistant detective, DC Hadley. Milner, who is now working in Brighton, does not appear in this episode. Stewart and Wainwright continue their work running and organising the guesthouse, and slowly they begin to become closer as they help Dean and her baby.
Background and production
The primary theme in the episode is
prejudice and segregation imposed by the US military on its soldiers and in locations visited by soldiers near to its bases (as seen in incidents such as the 1943
Battle of Bamber Bridge in
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...
and the 1944
Park Street riot in
Bristol
Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...
). Another theme is that of the "conchies", or conscientious objectors, returning to civilian life along with demobilised soldiers. Underlying all of these is the social stigma against
unplanned single motherhood and a tension (particularly among US troops of the time) against interracial relationships.
"The Hide"
Cast and characters
After his resignation, Foyle makes plans to go to the US aboard the ''
Queen Mary'' to "tie up some loose ends" — an oblique reference to his determination to bring Howard Paige to justice, since he was unable to do so in the episode "
Fifty Ships". We also learn of Caroline Devereaux's involvement as a nurse in Foyle's recuperation from injuries in WW1. This episode not only sees the final appearance of
Anthony Howell as Milner, but also sees the budding relationship between Stewart and Wainwright bloom into an engagement at Hill House.
Background and production
The episode prologues with the
firebombing of Dresden in February 1945 and ends by highlighting the role of ''Queen Mary'' in repatriating returning US troops. It also introduces
MI9, whose primary role was to support available
European Resistance networks. The Devereaux estate, referred to as Whitefriars in the episode, is fictional but loosely based on the life of
William Devereux. In terms of production, there was a three-year gap before the next series aired in 2013.
International broadcast
Series Six was broadcast in the United States on
PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
stations on ''
Masterpiece Mystery!'' as ''Foyle's War VI'' on 2, 9 and 16 May 2010, and on
Netflix
Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
as of April 2014.
References
External links
Series 6on
IMDb
IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...
{{Foyle's War
Fiction set in 1945
Foyle's War episodes
2010 British television seasons
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