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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

'Doctors' episode about the First World War 18/7/14


Mark Hone

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By chance I happened to watch a special Great War Centenary episode of the BBC's afternoon medical soap opera in which one of the regular characters tried to trace what happened to his great-grandfather, played in flashback by the same actor. It was well-meaning and rather interestingly featured an NCO and British officer from the Indian Corps, both sympathetically portrayed. While the episode was obviously made on a very restricted budget , some attempt had been made to depict early war uniforms and equipment. Unfortunately, even allowing for dramatic licence, the storyline was preposterous and Forum Pals who watch on iPlayer will have to grit their teeth through the numerous howlers, starting with the modern-day regular character, supposedly a former British Army soldier, referring to a 'Loo-tenant'.

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It was also interesting that they managed to identify burial location, find both bodies a fair way apart at the first attempt, confirm identify by DNA and then have them buried in the middle of a row of graves under CWGC headstones, all within a matter of days.

To me this was a case of climbing on the bandwagon rather than a genuine attempt at commemoration.

Nigel

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I wasn't going to mention that aspect! To be fair, it was definitely implied that the reburial had taken place sometime after the recovery of the bodies but the process of discovery etc was all still completely bonkers, reminiscent of those American CSI shows where each case is solved overnight. Also the CWGC headstones which the characters stood in front of were definitely not new. However, I was perhaps a bit more generous to the makers in that (within an obvious multicultural subtext) the easy cliche of arrogant British officer and put upon Indian NCO was completely avoided and instead the officer was correctly shown as being able to converse with his soldiers in their own language and familiar and sympathetic with their culture.

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I anticipated from the title another of the interminable Dr Who series had ridden the WW1 wave. However this seems equally deserving of total avoidance

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While I remember, two modern day characters in the episode referred to an 'arms cachet', which made me chuckle. Popular series are definitely jumping on the Great War bandwagon. 'The Archers' are busy making their memorial stained glass window to be unveiled on Boxing Day and even the Welsh language soap opera 'Pobol Y Cwm' seems to be beginning a storyline based on a character's ancestor who died on the Somme.

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Wonder what will be happening in Eastenders. Noticed that over, it must be, at least the last eighteen months or so, that from time to time a war memorial has been in shot momentarily.

NigelS

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Not a fan of 'Eastenders' by any means but I seem to recall that they did quite a touching and understated Normandy campaign storyline a few years ago involving the 'Alfie Moon' character.

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Making allowances for the constrictions of a half hour episode, I found the episode watchable & sympathetic.

Kath.

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