If you can watch BBC TV then...

[furbs]

You will want to watch this...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/tv/comingup/first-light/

His book "First light" is one of the best BOB books ive ever read...I will not be missing it.

[Viking]

Perhaps even the best! Amazing that they sent out 19 year old's in a dangerous and complex machine as the Spit. But I guess that was ( and sadly is) how it works. Looking back 40 years in time I remember the naivete and ignorance I had at that time and this is probably why they can send young but not old men into war.

A bloody good read though.

Viking

[Mysticpuma]

Ditto, I hope they can give just 10% of the Atmosphere Wellum creates in his memoirs! I have this set to record, as I too found it one of the best books on WW2 aviation I have ever read.

Cheers, MP

[RCAF_FB_Orville]

Looking forward to this too, the BBC trailer for it looks impressive. As per usual though, the grognards will dissect it ruthlessly because they have nothing better to do with their lives.

"I counted the amount of rivets on the CGI Spit fuselage and it was clearly in error.......A 'Henley' teaset and the cutlery used in the mess were not even in production then, as my source here verifies, it is clearly an anachronism *blah blah blah* Christ people get a life.....obsessive compulsive much lol? Sad b*stards

[philip.ed]

I've seen the flight-kit made for this film first-hand and it's awesome (for anyone who's interested...) The maker did an amazing job with it (as he usually does)
Looking forward to this, the book was great, so I hope this'll be too. It should be, as I gather the team behind this have done their best to nail all the historical factors where possible

[furbs]

Lets hope Oleg gets to watch it and makes a note of the colours of the fields in southern england

[ATAG_Dutch]

Originally Posted by furbs

You will want to watch this...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/tv/comingup/first-light/

His book "First light" is one of the best BOB books ive ever read...I will not be missing it.

It's my favourite BoB memoirs.
The IL2 film I just posted is chapter 3 in my film of the book.
The BBC just beat me to it.
The B**t**ds.

[Bloblast]

I saw it yesterday.

Worth seeing, used also images from the movie Battle of Britain.

[PeterPanPan]

I am attempting to put my finger on the reasons why, but I was rather disapointed by it. The best and certainly most moving pieces were the visuals and audio of GW himself. I would have preferred much more of him than a drama which, in my opinion, missed too many crucial parts of the book and failed to inspire the viewer in the way the book does. And as for the many scenes with Grace ... I found these both unecessary and uncomfortable to watch and, as they were not in the book, am left wondering as to their authenticity. I just wish Spielberg and his budget could have been thrown at this to make something more akin to Band of Brothers. Imagine a first person, shaky view as GW scrambled to his Spit etc. etc.

I think that Brian Kingcome's portrayal, and the way he treated GW, was unnecessarily harsh. I understand there was a certain aloofness, borne out of necessity to protect one's emotions. However, IMHO having read both First Light and BK's A Willingness to Die, BK's character was over cooked.

Also, although not crucial to the essence of the story, you'd think the makers would have made an effort to get the aircraft markings a) correct and b) consistent, even if incorrect. 92 Sqn's code was 'QJ' but aircraft were marked with 'AI' which has never been used for any Squadron. Maybe it stood for Artificial Intelligence, a nod towards the CGI used?! GW's aircraft also seemed to change in the same scene, for example, the 'lost in a storm' sequence.

I really think the BBC missed a golden opportunity here to do so much better and to inspire and educate future generations about what it really meant to be one of The Few.

PPanPan

[ATAG_Dutch]

Originally Posted by PeterPanPan

I am attempting to put my finger on the reasons why, but I was rather disapointed by it. The best and certainly most moving pieces were the visuals and audio of GW himself.
PPanPan

Agree completely. As usual, bits were condensed, 2 events fused into one, characters depicted completely differently from the book, Mac and Kingcombe particularly, and 'romantic interest' added as no drama can possibly be successful without some sexual overtones (sorry, sarcasm).
For me, the highlight of the visual part of programme was seeing GW enter the pub for a G&T whilst commenting on the impact it made on him.
There was an interview with GW on Radio 4 about a year ago, which did a far better job than this programme, which is a shame.
On a positive note though, at least the BBC tried to bring those times back into the national consciousness, in a manner which might be more appealing to the general populace than to us.
The squadron codes were annoying me even in the previews last week, BTW!!