Island at War

Infobox Television
show_name = Island at War


caption =
format = Drama
camera =
picture_format =
runtime = approx. 398 min
writer = Stephen Mallatratt
developer =
executive_producer = Sita Williams
Andy Harries
starring = James Wilby
Clare Holman
Owen Teale
Julia Ford
Philip Glenister
Saskia Reeves
narrated =
opentheme =
endtheme =
country = UK
network = ITV
first_aired =
last_aired =
num_episodes = 6 (UK)
5 (US)
list_episodes =List of Island at War episodes
website = http://www.itv.com/page.asp?partid=1751
imdb_id = 0401019
tv_com_id =

"Island at War" is a British television series first broadcast on ITV on July 11, 2004. The series tells the story of the German Occupation of the Channel Islands, and primarily focuses on three local families: the upper-class Dorrs, the middle-class Mahys and the working-class Jonases, and four German officers. The fictional island of St. Gregory serves as a stand-in for the real-life islands Jersey and Guernsey, and the story is compiled from the events on both islands.

"Island at War" had an estimated budget of £9,000,000 (about US$16,000,000) and was filmed on location in the Isle of Man from August 2003 to October 2003. When the series was shown in the UK, it appeared in six 70-minute episodes. It was also aired in the United States as 5 x 90-minute episodes, as part of "Masterpiece Theatre", beginning on January 23, 2005.

Cast of Characters

Episode Synopses

Response

Overall, the miniseries earned more favourable reviews in the United States than in the United Kingdom. This is possibly due to the near-saturation of British television and film with World War II dramas, and the continuing popularity of the ITV series "Enemy at the Door" (1978-80), which had a similar plot, and "Foyle's War".

In the Channel Islands themselves, the series faced widespread criticism in the local press due to inaccuracy, mispronunciation of names (for example, 'Mahy' was pronounced 'Mah-hee' rather than the correct 'Ma'yee') and the fact that the series was filmed not on the Islands themselves, but the Isle of Man.

Future?

One of the complaints that both critics and viewers shared was the lack of resolution at the end of the final episodeFact|date=March 2008. Many of the minor plot arcs (i.e. the relationship between the Baron and Felicity; June's tarnished reputation), and a few of the major ones (Zelda's failed escape; Angelique and Bernhardt), were left with loose ends when the mini-series ended. It was rumoured that another batch of episodes was to be produced, possibly taking place months or even years after the original six, and these episodes would provide a true ending to the showFact|date=March 2008. This will most likely never occur, however, largely due to the film's lukewarm reception in the UK, and the death of writer Stephen MallatrattFact|date=March 2008.

References

External links

*imdb title|id=0401019|title=Island at War
*" [http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/islandatwar/index.html Island at War] " at PBS