Blitz - the bombs that changed Britain

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www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b09gtbh2/blitz-the-bombs-that-changed-britain-series-1-episode-1

Absolutely excellent. Incredibly moving at times too. 400 people were killed in London on the first night of the Blitz, and it went on for months after that, night after night. It's almost unimaginable now.

I really liked the way this programme got relatives of people who were bombed to read out their diary entries and look at the archives.

The horror and terror she must have experienced - and never spoke of

In 1991 my DGM was at the end of her life, suffering with dementia, and rarely lucid. When my Aunt visited her in hospital, DGM would always ask : "Did you make it alright through the bombs, love ?" ...

I can forgive the BBC any amount of drivel when it produces something as well-researched and meaningful as this series. I suspect the link with the Open University is the key.

I can forgive the BBC any amount of drivel when it produces something as well-researched and meaningful as this series. I suspect the link with the Open University is the key.

We'll miss it when it's gone.

The late Lisa Jardine did a programme a few years ago about the work done by her father, Jacob Bronowski, in WW2. She'd found his papers mathematically calculating the impact of different kinds of bombing and of the atom bomb - to enable the Allies to bomb more effectively.

There's a moment when she and Prof Frank Kelly are poring over the equations, marvelling at the cleverness of the work... and then pause as they remember, "Of course, this is about how best to kill people."

The war memorials get me , and the solitary graves often so far from home

There was one a small town and there were 7 men with one fairly unusual surname which reallly chocked me

Such a fascinating period of history and such a game changer

My mum was a tween/teen during ww2 in London and she had a ‘nervous breakdown’ as she put it, in her early 20s. I can’t even imagine... she lost her childhood basically.

The late Lisa Jardine did a programme a few years ago about the work done by her father, Jacob Bronowski, in WW2. She'd found his papers mathematically calculating the impact of different kinds of bombing and of the atom bomb - to enable the Allies to bomb more effectively. There's a moment when she and Prof Frank Kelly are poring over the equations, marvelling at the cleverness of the work... and then pause as they remember, "Of course, this is about how best to kill people."

Yes, that moment too was in my mind while I was writing the above. And must have been in Jardine's.

I've now watched episode 2 of the Blitz programme and realise it's about exactly the same thing, but the psychological assessments whereas Bronowsky was tasked with analysing physical damage.

I missed it last week, but saw last night's episode about Clydebank. Equally as good as ep 1. Must catch up with 2 on i player.

Yes, a really informative series. Haven't watched the Clydebank one yet.

The children's essays were heart breaking. And Yes, the red pen corrections.....i felt for the guy whose essay turned up and he was reading it for the first time since the War.

I think it was fairly common not to talk about things back then. I had a great-aunt who was murdered in the 60s (I vaguely remember her) but it was never spoken of in our large and close-knit family.

The BBC is the best at this type of documentary, just have a wee look at the crap programmes that most of the rest of the world's television channels make and see that the BBC, for all its faults, is the best and is a national treasure which we lose at our peril!

Has anyone watched tonight's episode about Bristol?

Catching up with the Bristol episode today!

It's really interesting how our cities'appearance has been shaped by bombing. There was a programme on bombing in Wales - I hadn't realised quite how badly Swansea was hit.

My village had a "friendly" bomb dropped on it; the plane had to get rid of it because of the weight - we used to play in the crater as kids.

I'm really enjoying this series-it kind of brings the War to life for those of us who've been fortunate enough to enjoy peace.

And yes, the Beeb is fantastic at this sort of programme. We're so lucky to have it.

I work about 15 minutes walk from St Peters church in Bristol. As a bristolian I knew that that area was heavily bombed but I cross the park on a regular basis with hardly a thought about what happened... until now.

I'm very interested in city architecture and layout prior to WW2. I really enjoyed seeing the street detail of the cardboard mock-ups of Bristol prior to the blitz. Its so humbling to hear the memories of survivors.

I agree, the Beeb really do push the boat out with documentaries of this standard.

The BBC is the best at this type of documentary,

It used to be better though

If you look at an "Horizon" from the 1970s (when I watched aged 10, and could go into school and ask my teachers about quarks and neutrinoes. Things they knew nothing about) and compare it with a recent 2000s "Horizon"

Heres a favourite. There can never be too much Feynman in the world - as one MN postername proves

That said, I love BBC2/4 documentaries and agree they stand head and shoulders above anything else (with notable PBS-type exceptions). But boy, talk about cramming 30 minutes into an hour !

I watched the last episode with interest as my father was a seven year old child living in Bristol in 1940. His family lived within a mile or so of the city centre and he remembers the raids quite well. He particularly remembers the raid that lasted 12 hours, having gone into their neighbour's Andersen shelter just after tea and not coming out again until breakfast time. My grandfather had been a regular soldier in the British Army in the 1920's (serving in Afghanistan during 1920 - 22 interestingly enough) and although he was a reservist at the outbreak of the war because of his age and the fact that he was in a reserved occupation he wasn't called back into the army. However, he was a fire watcher during raids and on one occasion had to put out an incendiary bomb that fell in the back yard of their house using a bucket of sand as they showed. In the past I spent many a lunch hour sitting on Castle Green near the church. I knew about the bombing during the war but seeing the film and the photographs of the area before the war it really brought home what a complete pounding the centre of Bristol took during those raids and what a difference it made to the heart of the city. It was also interesting to hear those Mass Observation reports about morale and shows how much was suppressed by the Ministry of Information.

I've often wondered why that part of Bristol was a bit odd, and now I know!

Is this the last episode?