The Week We Went To War – With Katherine Jenkins
BBC One Daytime marks the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the Second World War with a week of special programmes from Monday 7 to Friday 11 September at 9.15am.
The Week We Went To War, presented by Forces Sweetheart Katherine Jenkins, celebrates the everyday heroes of the Home Front, from families who took in evacuees, to ordinary people who went into bombed buildings at risk of their own lives to save those trapped inside.
Each day Katherine, the world-renowned singer, who is also known for her charitable work supporting British troops, is joined in the studio by Michael Aspel talking about his wartime memories, including his experiences as an evacuee, and, from Bletchley Park, BBC antiques expert Tim Wonnacott looks at the everyday wartime items which have become today’s collectables.
Among the wartime stories included in the programme are interviews with survivors of the Catford school bombing in South London; the recipient of Britain’s first George Cross; and witnesses of the worst civilian tragedy on the Home Front. Survivors of what became known as the Bethnal Green Tube disaster recall that fateful day.
Tributes are paid during the series to the firemen of London; and the story of one of the most unexpected and intensive bombing raids in Britain is told – when the town of Clydebank in Scotland was virtually wiped off the map.
Meanwhile, famous people who lived through the war – actress Sylvia Syms, Baroness Williams, Tony Benn, Lionel Blair, Leslie Phillips and Rabbi Lionel Blue – give us their childhood memories.
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Love Katherine Jenkins as a singer but she is seriously miscast as a television presenter and particularly as presenter of this programme.
Katherine jenkins’ presentation of this programme makes it difficult to watch seriously due to her peroxide and smiley image absent of any real emotion. I switch off.
This is a superb programme with so many wonderful real life stories. However, it has been completely ruined by Katherine Jenkins trying her hand as a presnter. Her total lack of empathy is annoying and she is like a first time reader of auto cue.
I totally agree with the above reviews. What were the BBC thinking having Katherine Jenkins presenting this show? Surely Michael Aspel would’ve been much better as the presenter rather than a sidekick? She’s terrible! She seems so insipid and wooden. Please don’t ask her to do any more shows, she’s unbearable to watch and listen to.
Such envy among the female comments. =)
The woman presenter on this gave me chills…in a very bad way. She was awful. Plastic, botoxed within an inch of her life and just plain awful.
Could someone help ? On the first episode Katherine interviewed a lady called Margaret Ridgway Mckay, who was the youngest survivor of the Bethnal Green tube disaster. We beleive that Margarets mother was my nans Godmother. My nan is called Joan baker and she would have referred to Margarets mother as Nell. My nans parents were called James and Jane Baker and they lived in Bethnal Green. Please if anyone has contact details this would be great, as my nan would really like to get in contact