VE Day: Remembering Victory
On 8 May 1945, Churchill announced that war in Europe was over. Seventy-five years on, some of Britain鈥檚 best-loved entertainers recall the jubilation of that day.
On the 8th May 1945, Churchill broadcast the long-awaited announcement that the war in Europe was over. Seventy-five years on, some of Britain鈥檚 best-loved entertainers and broadcasters recall the jubilation of that unforgettable day. To celebrate, Britain threw the biggest street party the country had ever seen. The extraordinary archive of celebrations all over Britain helps bring back the memories.
Britain's celebrities - including Patrick Stewart, Anne Reid, Miriam Margolyes, Leslie Phillips and Dame Cleo Laine - share their memories of the tea parties, bonfires, joyful tears and dancing in the streets. The programme also includes interviews with Sir Bruce Forsyth, Dame June Whitfield, Honor Blackman, and Kenny Lynch who have died since the programme was first shown. After the heady days of celebration, it was back to the realities of food rationing and troops slowly returning home at last, with the nation gradually getting back on its feet. The gloom of austerity was replaced a new era of optimism and prosperity. This is the story of the Victory Generation.
Interviewees: Sir David Attenborough, Johnny Ball, Honor Blackman, Jilly Cooper CBE, John Craven OBE, Sir Bruce Forsyth, Dame Cleo Laine, Kenny Lynch OBE, Miriam Margolyes OBE, Sir Michael Parkinson, Leslie Phillips CBE, Anne Reid MBE, Dame Esther Rantzen, Sir Patrick Stewart, Una Stubbs, Dame June Whitfield.
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Music Played
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John Snagge
Announcement of German Surrender
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脫lafur Arnalds
Tunglio
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脫lafur Arnalds
Pu Ert Joroin
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Jon Hopkins
Small Memory
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Flanagan and Allen
Run, Rabbit, Run
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Harry Leader
Goodnight Wherever You Are
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Jack Hylton and His Orchestra, Jack Hylton
Painting The Clouds With Sunshine
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Illinois Jacquet, Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra
Flying Home
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Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five
Ration Blues
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Sir Winston Churchill, Vera Lynn
Wartime Speeches - (There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover
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Jack Buchanan
Everything Stops For Tea
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Art Tatum
Tea For Two
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Jon Hopkins
Vessel
Remix Artist: Four Tet. -
Bud Flanagan & The Band of the Coldstream Guards
Who Do You Think You Are Kidding Mr Hitler?
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Vera Lynn
When They Sound The Last 'All Clear'
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Kitty Kallen & Harry James
I'm Beginning to See the Light
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Flanagan And Allen With Jay Wilbur And His Band
Down Forget-Me-Not Lane
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Alfred Piccaver
There'll Always Be An England
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Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra
Opus One (1991 Remastered)
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Carroll Gibbons With The Savoy Hotel Orpheans
I'm Going To Get Lit Up When The Lights Go Up In London
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Vera Lynn
There's a Land of Begin Again
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Jon Hopkins
Searchlight
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Sviatoslav Richter
The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1: Prelude and Fugue No. 24 In B Minor, Bwv 869
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Jack Hylton & His Orchestra
Blue Skies Are Around The Corner
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Louis Armstrong
A Kiss to Build a Dream On
Credits
Role | Contributor |
---|---|
Narrator | Julie Walters |
Producer | Mary Cranitch |
Executive Producer | Chris Granlund |
Broadcast
- Fri 8 May 2020 21:10
Featured in...
VE Day 75
A collection of programmes celebrating the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day.