Island at War facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Island at War |
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| Written by | Stephen Mallatratt |
| Starring | James Wilby Clare Holman Owen Teale Julia Ford Philip Glenister Saskia Reeves |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Sita Williams Andy Harries |
| Running time | approx. 398 min |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV |
| Original release | 11 July – 15 August 2004 |
Island at War is a British TV show that tells the story of the German occupation of the Channel Islands during World War II. It focuses on how three local families and four German officers lived during this time. The show uses a made-up island called St. Gregory, but its story is based on real events from the islands of Guernsey and Jersey.
The series was made by Granada Television in Manchester. It had a big budget of about £9 million. Filming happened on the Isle of Man from August to October 2003. When the show was first shown in the UK, it had six episodes, each about 70 minutes long.
Contents
Meet the Characters
This TV series features many actors playing islanders and German soldiers. Here are some of the main characters:
- James Wilby as James Dorr
- Clare Holman as Felicity Dorr
- Sam Heughan as Phillip Dorr (also known as Mr. Brotherson)
- Owen Teale as Wilf Jonas
- Julia Ford as Kathleen Jonas
- Sean Gallagher as Sheldon Leveque
- Saskia Reeves as Cassie Mahy
- Julian Wadham as Urban Mahy
- Joanne Froggatt as Angelique Mahy
- Samantha Robinson as June Mahy
- Louisa Clein as Zelda Kay
- Philip Glenister as Baron Von Rheingarten
- Daniel Flynn as Captain Muller
- Colin Tierney as Oberwachtmeister Wimmel
- Conor Mullen as Oberleutnant Walker
- Andrew Havill as Oberleutnant Flach
- Laurence Fox as Bernhardt Tellemann
- Richard Dempsey as Eugene La Salle
- Ann Rye as Ada Jonas
- Sean Ward as Colin Jonas
Episode Guide
Island at War has six exciting episodes. Each one shows how life changed for the islanders and the German soldiers during the occupation.
Episode 1: Eve of War
This episode shows the start of the German invasion of St. Gregory. People on the island begin to leave their homes as the invasion gets closer.
Episode 2: Living With the Enemy
The German occupation officially begins. This leads to some arguments and disagreements between the local people and the new German soldiers.
Episode 3: To Catch a Spy
The hunt for a second spy on the island continues. Everyone is on edge as they try to find out who the spy is.
Episode 4: Strange Mercies
More people arrive for the Germans. A romantic relationship starts to grow between Bernhardt and Angelique. Meanwhile, Zelda goes into hiding with Cassie.
Episode 5: Unexpected Mercies
The Baron threatens to arrest Eugene's parents. This makes the islanders even more determined to resist. Bernhardt goes on a bombing mission, and Cassie starts a new relationship.
Episode 6: Unusual Successes
June finds out that Angelique is in love with Bernhardt. Walker finds the person who hurt June and attacks him. James gives Philip important information about the Germans. Sheldon agrees to help Zelda and Philip escape to England, but their plans don't go as expected.
DVD Release Information
If you want to watch the whole series, the complete DVD collection was first released in 2008 by Acorn Media UK. It was released again in 2017 by Network.
Why There Was No Second Series
Even though Island at War was very popular when it first aired, the series ended suddenly. The writer, Stephen Mallatratt, sadly passed away from cancer shortly after the show was broadcast. Also, the show was very expensive to make, with each episode costing about £1 million. These reasons led to the series ending after just one season.
