S1 E1: Episode 1
Present day. Bert Middleton is the second oldest man in Britain, and a film is being made about his life and his village. He takes us back to the summer of 1914 when he was twelve years old.
59 minutes
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The turbulent times experienced by one English village throughout the 20th century.
Cast: John Simm, Maxine Peake, Rupert Evans
Present day. Bert Middleton is the second oldest man in Britain, and a film is being made about his life and his village. He takes us back to the summer of 1914 when he was twelve years old.
59 minutes
January 1915. The Middleton farm has fallen on very hard times, and John is drinking heavily as his desperation grows. Bert assumes responsibility for his mother and the survival of his family.
58 minutes
March 1916. Conscription is introduced for the first time in British history. Call up papers are delivered throughout the village. Soldiers arrive at the Middleton farm to requisition Bert's horse.
59 minutes
1st July 1916. The date of the Rondo: an annual wheel barrow race on the cricket field, and unbeknownst to the villagers, the first day of the Battle of the Somme.
58 minutes
Joe's brief leave from the Front has come to an end. He has tried hard to conceal his shell-shock from the family, but Grace knows that something is badly wrong.
59 minutes
1920. The war is over, and the village tries to come to terms with its loss. The date of the unveiling of the War Memorial draws close, the inhabitants debate how best to honour their dead.
59 minutes