Bloody Foreigners

28 June 2010

The Untold Battle of Trafalgar

Nelson famously signalled the Battle of Trafalgar with the words: ‘England expects that every man will do his duty'.  However, of the 18,000 sailors fighting for King and Country, 1,400 of them were not British, with 25 different nationalities in all press-ganged into serving the British King. By analysing the records of warship HMS Bellerophon, this fresh and action-packed account of the famous day reveals their fascinating story.

Documented evidence proves the Navy recruited hundreds of men from all over the world including black sailors, many of them ex-slaves from the West Indies and America.  For many, the Royal Navy was the world's first equal opportunities employer, offering freedom, equal pay, and the chance for life-changing promotion.

This film pays tribute to the diverse nationalities that sailed on 21 October 1805 - united not by patriotism, but by a unique opportunity for performance-related pay. The Admiralty promised every man at Trafalgar - irrespective of race, creed or colour - a fair share of any captured enemy ships. If they defeated the entire Combined Fleet, even the humblest sailor might become the equivalent of a millionaire.

Between these brave foreigners and a potential fortune, stood the bloodiest battle in naval history, a great storm and the mortal danger of fire, drowning or shipwreck.

The Untold Battle of Britain

This dramatised documentary recounts how, during the most decisive phase of the Battle of the Britain, a single squadron of 34 Polish fighter pilots wreaked havoc on the Luftwaffe, overturning RAF prejudices and helping change the course of history.

From their bitter struggle for acceptance when they first arrived in this country, to the crucial part they played in averting the German invasion, and their ultimate betrayal by the Allies, the unknown story of 303 Squadron is one of most extraordinary episodes of WWII.

Based on a diary kept by the pilots of the squadron, it is a story of increasing frustration on the part of the Poles who had already fought the Luftwaffe and now found themselves having to learn English and the RAF way of doing things. Meanwhile, as the Battle of Britain got underway, inexperienced British pilots were paying a heavy cost.

Belatedly, the Poles were cleared for active service and had an immediate impact. In their first week they shot down 40 enemy aircraft making them the highest scoring RAF squadron. By the time the Battle of Britain was won, they had claimed 126 enemy planes. But as the war ended, their joy turned to despair as they saw their own country handed to Stalin.

The Untold Great Fire of London

Everyone knows that the Great Fire of London started at a baker's in Pudding Lane; that it was a terrible accident; and hardly anyone died. However, reeling from plague and war, torn apart by sectarian tensions, many Londoners believed the fire had been started deliberately by a foreign enemy living within their midst. And they wanted to make sure a foreigner would pay for this crime of the century.

For several apocalyptic days and nights, as the city burned, London hunted the foreign fire-starters. The first target were the Dutch, whose cities, navy and empire Britain coveted; the second, the French - our fundamentalist religious enemies.

After an orgy of rage and violence, cosmopolitan London found its incendiary alien - a Frenchman who claimed to have committed this act of terror and from whom the mob would, quite literally, demand their pound of flesh. But many were left wondering whether the real horrors had been committed by Londoners themselves.  As stories of hardship and heroism emerged, the authorities had to ask whether London's foreign communities had been more loyal than they could ever have imagined. 

With expert interviews, fresh visualisations of 17th century London and contemporary sources, Great Fire reveals the dirty truth behind one of our great historical moments.

The Untold Invasion of Britain

In a mountainous land, at the edge of its empire, the world’s only superpower was bogged down in an asymmetric war against a deadly insurgency. Sounds a familiar story, but this is history from almost 2,000 years ago.

Brought to life with animated sequences based on contemporary Roman sources, this is the extraordinary story of a very bloody foreigner - the little known and only black Roman Emperor - Septimius Severus, an African who seized Rome’s Imperial throne in a vicious civil war and then fought a brutal campaign in Britain transforming the country in his wake.

In 207AD, Britain was just a far outpost of the mighty Roman Empire with the north stubbornly holding out. With a vast army, Severus marched over Hadrian’s Wall. Using guerrilla tactics, the Britons attacked the isolated Roman patrols, and then melted into the mountains. Severus wasted four years and thousands of Roman lives in a futile attempt to defeat his invisible enemy. He died in York in 211AD, his campaign only serving to create a new enemy north of The Wall and to help forge the English-Scottish divide familiar to us today.

This programme follows Severus’s trail from the magnificent remains at Lepcis Magna in the Libyan Desert, to the military hardware left by his campaign in Britain.

The Untold Battle of Trafalgar

Nelson famously signalled the Battle of Trafalgar with the words: ‘England expects that every man will do his duty'.  However, of the 18,000 sailors fighting for King and Country, 1,400 of them were not British, with 25 different nationalities in all press-ganged into serving the British King. By analysing the records of warship HMS Bellerophon, this fresh and action-packed account of the famous day reveals their fascinating story.

Documented evidence proves the Navy recruited hundreds of men from all over the world including black sailors, many of them ex-slaves from the West Indies and America.  For many, the Royal Navy was the world's first equal opportunities employer, offering freedom, equal pay, and the chance for life-changing promotion.

This film pays tribute to the diverse nationalities that sailed on 21 October 1805 - united not by patriotism, but by a unique opportunity for performance-related pay. The Admiralty promised every man at Trafalgar - irrespective of race, creed or colour - a fair share of any captured enemy ships. If they defeated the entire Combined Fleet, even the humblest sailor might become the equivalent of a millionaire.

Between these brave foreigners and a potential fortune, stood the bloodiest battle in naval history, a great storm and the mortal danger of fire, drowning or shipwreck.

The Untold Battle of Britain

This dramatised documentary recounts how, during the most decisive phase of the Battle of the Britain, a single squadron of 34 Polish fighter pilots wreaked havoc on the Luftwaffe, overturning RAF prejudices and helping change the course of history.

From their bitter struggle for acceptance when they first arrived in this country, to the crucial part they played in averting the German invasion, and their ultimate betrayal by the Allies, the unknown story of 303 Squadron is one of most extraordinary episodes of WWII.

Based on a diary kept by the pilots of the squadron, it is a story of increasing frustration on the part of the Poles who had already fought the Luftwaffe and now found themselves having to learn English and the RAF way of doing things. Meanwhile, as the Battle of Britain got underway, inexperienced British pilots were paying a heavy cost.

Belatedly, the Poles were cleared for active service and had an immediate impact. In their first week they shot down 40 enemy aircraft making them the highest scoring RAF squadron. By the time the Battle of Britain was won, they had claimed 126 enemy planes. But as the war ended, their joy turned to despair as they saw their own country handed to Stalin.

The Untold Great Fire of London

Everyone knows that the Great Fire of London started at a baker's in Pudding Lane; that it was a terrible accident; and hardly anyone died. However, reeling from plague and war, torn apart by sectarian tensions, many Londoners believed the fire had been started deliberately by a foreign enemy living within their midst. And they wanted to make sure a foreigner would pay for this crime of the century.

For several apocalyptic days and nights, as the city burned, London hunted the foreign fire-starters. The first target were the Dutch, whose cities, navy and empire Britain coveted; the second, the French - our fundamentalist religious enemies.

After an orgy of rage and violence, cosmopolitan London found its incendiary alien - a Frenchman who claimed to have committed this act of terror and from whom the mob would, quite literally, demand their pound of flesh. But many were left wondering whether the real horrors had been committed by Londoners themselves.  As stories of hardship and heroism emerged, the authorities had to ask whether London's foreign communities had been more loyal than they could ever have imagined. 

With expert interviews, fresh visualisations of 17th century London and contemporary sources, Great Fire reveals the dirty truth behind one of our great historical moments.

The Untold Invasion of Britain

In a mountainous land, at the edge of its empire, the world’s only superpower was bogged down in an asymmetric war against a deadly insurgency. Sounds a familiar story, but this is history from almost 2,000 years ago.

Brought to life with animated sequences based on contemporary Roman sources, this is the extraordinary story of a very bloody foreigner - the little known and only black Roman Emperor - Septimius Severus, an African who seized Rome’s Imperial throne in a vicious civil war and then fought a brutal campaign in Britain transforming the country in his wake.

In 207AD, Britain was just a far outpost of the mighty Roman Empire with the north stubbornly holding out. With a vast army, Severus marched over Hadrian’s Wall. Using guerrilla tactics, the Britons attacked the isolated Roman patrols, and then melted into the mountains. Severus wasted four years and thousands of Roman lives in a futile attempt to defeat his invisible enemy. He died in York in 211AD, his campaign only serving to create a new enemy north of The Wall and to help forge the English-Scottish divide familiar to us today.

This programme follows Severus’s trail from the magnificent remains at Lepcis Magna in the Libyan Desert, to the military hardware left by his campaign in Britain.

The Untold Battle of Trafalgar

Nelson famously signalled the Battle of Trafalgar with the words: ‘England expects that every man will do his duty'.  However, of the 18,000 sailors fighting for King and Country, 1,400 of them were not British, with 25 different nationalities in all press-ganged into serving the British King. By analysing the records of warship HMS Bellerophon, this fresh and action-packed account of the famous day reveals their fascinating story.

Documented evidence proves the Navy recruited hundreds of men from all over the world including black sailors, many of them ex-slaves from the West Indies and America.  For many, the Royal Navy was the world's first equal opportunities employer, offering freedom, equal pay, and the chance for life-changing promotion.

This film pays tribute to the diverse nationalities that sailed on 21 October 1805 - united not by patriotism, but by a unique opportunity for performance-related pay. The Admiralty promised every man at Trafalgar - irrespective of race, creed or colour - a fair share of any captured enemy ships. If they defeated the entire Combined Fleet, even the humblest sailor might become the equivalent of a millionaire.

Between these brave foreigners and a potential fortune, stood the bloodiest battle in naval history, a great storm and the mortal danger of fire, drowning or shipwreck.

The Untold Battle of Britain

This dramatised documentary recounts how, during the most decisive phase of the Battle of the Britain, a single squadron of 34 Polish fighter pilots wreaked havoc on the Luftwaffe, overturning RAF prejudices and helping change the course of history.

From their bitter struggle for acceptance when they first arrived in this country, to the crucial part they played in averting the German invasion, and their ultimate betrayal by the Allies, the unknown story of 303 Squadron is one of most extraordinary episodes of WWII.

Based on a diary kept by the pilots of the squadron, it is a story of increasing frustration on the part of the Poles who had already fought the Luftwaffe and now found themselves having to learn English and the RAF way of doing things. Meanwhile, as the Battle of Britain got underway, inexperienced British pilots were paying a heavy cost.

Belatedly, the Poles were cleared for active service and had an immediate impact. In their first week they shot down 40 enemy aircraft making them the highest scoring RAF squadron. By the time the Battle of Britain was won, they had claimed 126 enemy planes. But as the war ended, their joy turned to despair as they saw their own country handed to Stalin.

The Untold Great Fire of London

Everyone knows that the Great Fire of London started at a baker's in Pudding Lane; that it was a terrible accident; and hardly anyone died. However, reeling from plague and war, torn apart by sectarian tensions, many Londoners believed the fire had been started deliberately by a foreign enemy living within their midst. And they wanted to make sure a foreigner would pay for this crime of the century.

For several apocalyptic days and nights, as the city burned, London hunted the foreign fire-starters. The first target were the Dutch, whose cities, navy and empire Britain coveted; the second, the French - our fundamentalist religious enemies.

After an orgy of rage and violence, cosmopolitan London found its incendiary alien - a Frenchman who claimed to have committed this act of terror and from whom the mob would, quite literally, demand their pound of flesh. But many were left wondering whether the real horrors had been committed by Londoners themselves.  As stories of hardship and heroism emerged, the authorities had to ask whether London's foreign communities had been more loyal than they could ever have imagined. 

With expert interviews, fresh visualisations of 17th century London and contemporary sources, Great Fire reveals the dirty truth behind one of our great historical moments.

The Untold Invasion of Britain

In a mountainous land, at the edge of its empire, the world’s only superpower was bogged down in an asymmetric war against a deadly insurgency. Sounds a familiar story, but this is history from almost 2,000 years ago.

Brought to life with animated sequences based on contemporary Roman sources, this is the extraordinary story of a very bloody foreigner - the little known and only black Roman Emperor - Septimius Severus, an African who seized Rome’s Imperial throne in a vicious civil war and then fought a brutal campaign in Britain transforming the country in his wake.

In 207AD, Britain was just a far outpost of the mighty Roman Empire with the north stubbornly holding out. With a vast army, Severus marched over Hadrian’s Wall. Using guerrilla tactics, the Britons attacked the isolated Roman patrols, and then melted into the mountains. Severus wasted four years and thousands of Roman lives in a futile attempt to defeat his invisible enemy. He died in York in 211AD, his campaign only serving to create a new enemy north of The Wall and to help forge the English-Scottish divide familiar to us today.

This programme follows Severus’s trail from the magnificent remains at Lepcis Magna in the Libyan Desert, to the military hardware left by his campaign in Britain.