Oh! What a lovely podcast

What happens when you set a telenovela in First World War France? This month Chris, Angus and Jessica review the Netflix limited series Les Combattantes (Women at War). Along the way, we discuss untranslatable words, the relationship between war atrocities and propaganda, recreational drug use, and the excellent communication links of a small-town convent. References: Women at war, (2022) The Bonfire of Destiny, (2019) RH Mottram, The Spanish Farm, (1924) John Horne and Alan Kramer, German Atrocities, 1914: A history of denial (2001) Lukasz Kamienski, Shooting Up: A history of drugs in warfare (2016)

What should we take from a First World War documentary? Following our adventure to Canada for the International Society for First World War Studies conference, we welcome Prof Robert Burgoyne to discuss his keynote paper on the Peter Jackson film They Shall Not Grow Old (2018). Along the way, we explore the ways in which war films can quote from each other, differences in structure to the film 1917, and the importance of audience expectations when creating a historical piece. References Robert Burgoyne, The New American War Film (2023) Santanu Das, ‘Colors of the Past: Archive, Art and Amnesia in a Digital Era’, American Historical Review 124.5 (2019) Otto Dix, Der Krieg (1924) Adrian Gregory, The Silence of Memory (1994) Samuel Hynes, A War Imagined (1991) Peter Jackson, They Shall Not Grow Old (1918) Sam Mendes, 1917 (1919) Bal Mieke, Quoting Caravaggio: Contemporary Art, Preposterous History (1999) Lewis Millstone, All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) Stephen Spielberg, Saving Private Ryan (1930) Allison Tanine, ‘Digital Film Restoration and the Politics of Whiteness in Peter Jackson’s, They Shall Not Grow Old’, Quarterly Review of Film and Video 39.5 (2021) Rebecca West, The Return of the Soldier (1918)

How did the First World War inspire the horror genre? This month we welcome W. Scott Poole (Charleston) to discuss his 2018 book Wasteland: The Great War and the Origins of Modern Horror. Along the way we discuss the American experience of war, the importance of J'Accuse, and the political affiliations of 20th century zombies.

What happens when you send Indiana Jones into the First World War? In this episode, we are joined by Thomas Riddle. Thomas runs the website indyintheclassroom.com (which aims to provide teachers with resources to integrate everyone’s favourite archaeologist into the classroom) to discuss the 1990s TV series ‘The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles’. Along the way we discuss the show as an educational tool, the many historical figures that appear in the series, and the importance of learning foreign languages! References: The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (1992-1996) Samuel Hynes, The Soldiers' Tale: Bearing Witness to Modern War (Allen Lane, 1997)

How do you create a biopic of one of the most famous First World War poets? This month we're joined by Dr Jane Potter (Oxford Brookes) to discuss the 2021 film Benediction about the life of Siegfried Sassoon. Along the way we explore the long shadow of Regeneration, soldiers in drag, and the brilliance of Edith Sitwell. We also get very excited by a surprise cameo from the star of a previous episode! References: Alice Winn, In Memoriam (2023) Benediction’ is a shattering biopic of the English war poet Siegfried Sassoon, LA Times Benediction review – Terence Davies’ piercingly sad Siegfried Sassoon drama, The Guardian Brian Bond, The Unquiet Western Front (2008) Edith Sitwell, Wheels (1919) Jane Potter, Selected Letters of Wilfred Owen (2023) Regeneration, dir by Gillies MacKinnon (1997) Siegfried Sasson, The Complete Memoirs of George They Shall Not Grow Old, dir by Peter Jackson (2018)

What do you get when you cross Journey's End with Brideshead Revisited? This month Angus, Chris and Jessica review Alice Winn's best-selling new novel, In Memoriam. The book follows Henry Gaunt and Sidney Ellwood from public school and through the war. Half-German, Gaunt's mother asks him to enlist in the British army to protect the family from anti-German attacks. He signs up immediately, relieved to escape his overwhelming feelings. But Ellwood and their classmates soon follow him into the horrors of trenches. Though Ellwood and Gaunt find fleeting moments of solace in one another, their friends are dying in front of them, and at any moment they could be next. Along the way we discuss class, conscription and the difficulties of describing the boredom and violence of war in popular fiction. References 1917 (2019) A.J. Evans, The Escaping Club Alfred, Lord Tennyson, In Memoriam A. H. H (1850) Alice Winn, In Memoriam (2023) All Quiet on the Western Front (2022) Charles Carrington, A Subaltern's War Ernst Younger, Storm of Steel (1929) Evelyn Waugh, Brideshead Revisited Ian Isherwood, Remembering the Great War (2017) In Memoriam by Alice Winn review, The Guardian (12 March 2023) Justin Fantauzzo and Robert L. Nelson (2016), 'A Most Unmanly War: British Military Masculinity in Macedonia, Mesopotamia and Palestine, 1914-18', Gender & History 28(3): 587-603, DOI: 10.1111/1468-0424.12240 Second Lieutenant Kenneth Macardle Heartstopper (2022) Max Plowman, A Subaltern on the Somme Pat Barker, Regeneration Trilogy (1991-1995) Peaky Blinders RC Sherriff, Journey’s End (1928) Rupert Brookes, Goodbye to All That (1929) Siegfried Sassoon, Memoirs of a Fox-Hunting Man (1929) Star Trek Stephen Fry, The Liar The Gallows Pole (2023) The Great Escape (1963) The History Boys (2006) This is Spinal Tap (1984) This Is the Week That Was Pat Barker, Regeneration Trilogy (1991-1995)

What First World War cultural representations would you like to see adapted for the screen? This month Angus, Chris and Jessica discuss their dream adaptations of novels, short stories and computer games for the big or small screen. Along the way, we explore what makes for a good film versus a good television series, we consider how to overcome the challenge of the Bechdel test in filming the war, and Chris introduces us to the Bertie Wooster/animé scale of realism. References: 1917, dir. by Sam Mendes (1919) AG Macdonell, England, Their England (1933) Akira, dir. by Katsuhiro Otomo (1988) All Quiet on the Western Front, dir. by Edward Berger (2022) Capt WE Johns, Biggles Goes North (1939) Capt WE Johns, Biggles Goes East (1935) Emma Hanna, The Great War on the small screen (2009) Ford Madox Ford, Parades End (1924) Frederic Manning, Her Privates We (1930) Lupin, Netflix (2021) Peter Berresford Ellis et al, Biggles!: Life of Captain WE Johns (1993) Ralph Hale Mottram, The Spanish Farm Trilogy (1930) RC Sherriff, Journey’s End (1928) Sapper, Bulldog Drummond (1920) The Wind Rises, dir. by Hayao Miyazaki (2013 The Monocled Mutineer, dir. by Jim O’Brien (1986) Valiant Hearts: The Great War, Ubisoft (2014)

By popular demand! This month Chris, Angus and Jessica discuss productions of R.C. Sherriff'sJourney's End, including the original play and the 1930 and 2017 film versions. Along the way, we consider the importance of James Whale, whether the French changed their clocks during the war and the definition of an anti-war play, while Chris makes a bid for the over-arching significance of moustaches to the history of the war. References RC Sherriff, Journey’s End (1928) Emily Curtis Walters, Between Entertainment and Elegy: The unexpected success of RC Sherriff’s “Journey’s End”’, Journal of British Studies 55.2 James Whale, Journey’s End (1930) James Whale, Frankenstein (1931) James Whale, The Road Back (1937) James Curtis, James Whale: A new world of Gods and Monsters (2003) Lewis Millstone, All Quiet on the Western Front (1930 N Enstaff, Journey’s End: York Notes for GCSE (2006) Rosa Maria Bracco, Merchants of Hope: British Middlebrow Writers and the First World War, 1919-1939 (Berg, 1993) Saul Dibb, Journey’s End (2017) Scott Poole, Wasteland: The Great War and the Origins of Modern Horror (2018)

What happens when Peaky Blinders meets Ballet Rambert? This month Chris finds out about Jessica and Angus's trip to see Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby, otherwise known as Peaky Blinders: The Ballet. Along the way we discuss the narrative structure of ballet, the industrialisation of the body in wartime and whether we are still living in the era of the First World War. References Cabaret (1966) Metropolis (1927/1984) Les Miserables (1985) Abel Gance, J'Accuse (1919) Paul Fussell, The Great War and Modern Memory (1975) Robert Gerwarth and John Horne (eds.), War in Peace: Paramilitarism in Europe after the Great War, 1917-1923 (2011) Rambert Dance in Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby Rehearsal Video New dance theatre version of Peaky Blinders by creator Steven Knight Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight interview on Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby 'Peaky Blinders' writer Steven Knight on the cult of the show and season 6

How do you stage an exhibition on POWs at a museum? This month we're joined by Lora Vogt from the National WW1 Museum in Kansas City, Missouri, to discuss their new exhibition: 'Captured'. Along the way, we talk about how POWs have been obscured from modern memory, the benefits of online content, and how to make someone drive five days across America.

What happens when you convert a seminal First World War novel into a big budget film? This month Angus, Jessica, and Chris discuss the 2022 Netflix version of All Quiet on the Western Front. Along the way they debate the importance of timeline changes, the film's use of violence, and pitch a few alternative films to any listeners from Hollywood. References Lewis Millstone, All Quiet on the Wester Front (1930) Delbert Mann, All Quiet on the Western Front (1979) Abel Gance, J'accuse (1919) Saul Dibb, Journey's End (2017) 37 Days (2014) Sam Mendes, 1917 (1919) Erich Maria Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front (1928) Frederic Manning, Her Privates We (1929) rottentomatoes.com, All Quiet on the Western Front

What happened when people wanted to visit the battlefields of the First World War? This month we're rejoined by Prof Mark Connelly (University of Kent) to discuss his new book Postcards from the Western Front: Pilgrims, Veterans, and Tourists after the Great War. Along the way we discuss ownership of the battlefields, issues of infrastructure for tourists, and what happens if your mum visits you in the trenches.

How do you commemorate the First World War in the age of social media? This month we take a look at the @giantpoppywatch twitter account and discuss the various ways people seem to commemorate the war. Along the way we discuss armistice balls, yarn bombing, and which muppet is the most respectful.

This month Jessica, Angus and Chris discuss John Buchan's 1915 novel The Thirty-Nine Steps. Along the way they discuss the importance of the Scottish countryside, the deviousness of espionage, and why you should never get in a car with Richard Hanney. WARNING: This episode contains references to racist language and ideas from the early 20th century. References: John Buchan, The Thirty-Nine Steps (1915) John Buchan, Greenmantle (1916) John Buchan, Mr Standfast (1919) Alfred Hitchcock, The 39 Steps (1935) Ralph Thomas, The 39 Steps (1959) Don Sharp, The 39 Steps (1978) James Hawes, The 39 Steps (2008) Orson Welles, The 39 Steps (1938) Ben Schott, Jeeves and the King of Clubs (2018) Sapper, Bulldog Drummond (1920)

How do you portray the most famous flying ace of the First World War? This month we're joined by Prof Ingrid Sharp (Leeds) to discuss Baron Manfred von Richtofen also known as 'The Red Baron'. Along the way we examine the ways his myth evolved during the war, the ways he was appropriated by the Nazis, and the threat he posed to Snoopy. If you would like to join Chris for the launch of his new book The History and Politics of Star Wars: Death Stars and Democracy, the event is on August 13, 2022 at 11AM PST / 1PM CST / 7PM BST. You can find the registration details here. References The Red Baron (2008) Dresden (2006) Valkyrie (2008) Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943) Revenge of the Red Baron (1994) Joyeux Noel (2005) Red Baron (1990 video game) John Buchan, Mr Standfast (1919) WE Johns, Biggles Chris Kempsall, The History and Politics of Star Wars (2022) Manfred von Richthofen, Der rote Kampfflieger (1917) Baroness Kunigunde von Richthofen, Mein Kriegstagebuch (1937) Charles Schulz, Snoopy vs the Red Baron

What happens if you combine the First World War with an action-adventure film? This month we watch the 2021 film The King's Man and discuss its portrayal of an alternative vision of the war. Along the way we explore John Buchan novels, the absence of key historical events, and wonder about whatever happened to Wilfred Owen. References: Guardian review Indiewire review John Buchan, The Thirty-Nine Steps (1915) John Buchan, Greenmantle (1916) John Buchan, Mr Standfast (1919) John Buchan, The Three Hostages (1924) Alfred Hitchcock, The Thirty-Nine Steps (1935) Patrick Barlow, The Thirty-Nine Steps (2005) James Hawes, The Thirty-Nine Steps (2008) 'Sapper' [H. C. McNeil], Bulldog Drummond (1920) Arthur Conan Doyle, The Final Problem (1893) 37 Days (2014), OWALP episode 16 Blackadder, 'Goodbyeee' (1989) James Joll, The Origins of the First World War (1984) Wilfred Owen, 'Dulce et Decorum Est' (first published 1920) Abel Gance, J'accuse (1919) Paul Fussell, The Great War and Modern Memory (1975) Lewis Millstone, All Quiet on the Western Front (1931) Otto Dix, Der Krieg (1924) Sam Mendes, 1917 (2019), OWALP episode 14 Jessica Meyer, 'Peaky Blinders and the Ubiquity of Poetry', 30/10/2013 Ben Schott, Jeeves and the King of Clubs (2018) Sarah Moss, Night Waking (2011) George Tomkyns Chesney, The Battle of Dorking (1871) George MacDonald Fraser, Flashman (1969) Brian Fee and John Lasseter, Cars (2006) A. E. W. Mason, The Four Feathers (1902) EA Dice Battlefield 1 (2016)

How do you get children interested in the First World War? In this podcast episode, we are joined by Andrew Powell-Thomas, editor of Over The Top, a history magazine aimed at children, published by the Great War Group. We then speak to two special guests, who give us their opinion. Along the way we consider how you get specialist historians to write for children, what stories spark historical interest and the importance of animals to the history of the war. References: Over the Top The Great War Group Andrew Powell-Thomas Rudyard Kipling, ‘My Boy Jack’ Mark Connelly The Great War, Memory and Ritual: Commemoration in the City and East London, 1916-1939. Woodbridge, Suffolk: Boydell & Brewer, 2015.

How are embroidery, and the women who do it, portrayed in the years after the First World War? This month Jessica takes us on a tour of post-war embroidery in Tracy Chevalier's A Single Thread and Dorothy Whipple's High Wages. Along the way we discuss surplus women, the varying perceptions of embroidery as skilled work, and the constant reminders of the First World War. References: Tracy Chevalier, A Single Thread (2019) Dorothy Whipple, High Wages (1930) Dorothy L. Sayers, Unnatural Death (1927) Dorothy L. Sayers, Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club (1928) Herman Darewski and R.P. Weston, ‘Sister Susie’s Sewing Shirts for Soldiers’ (1914). This is Billy Murry’s 1915 version) Janet S.K. Watson, Fighting Different Wars: Experience, Memory and the First World War (2004) Alexia Moncrieff, Expertise, Authority and Control: The Australian Army Medical Corps in the First World War(2020) Ana Carden-Coyne, ‘Butterfly Touch: rehabilitation, nature and the haptic arts in the First World War’, Critical Military Studies 6:2 (2020) Lesley Glaister, Blasted Things (2020). See episode 9 of the podcast for our discussion with Lesley Glaister. Armistice & After: Peace Project, Leeds City Museum 10-18 November 2018:

What did it take to be a good junior officer in the First World War? This month, Chris, Angus and Jessica speak to Charles Fair about the development of junior officer training in the war. Along the way we discuss the significance of the Territorial Force, which schools had officer training corps and the definition of a 'temporary gentleman'. References Blackadder Goes Forth (1983) Charles Fair, Marjorie's War: Four Families in the Great War 1914-1918 (2012) Charles Fair, 'From OTC to OCB: The Professionalisation of the Selection and Training of Junior Temporary Officers During the Great War' in Spencer Jones (ed) 1917: The Darkest Year: The British Army on the Western Front 1917, pp.78-109 Dan Todman, The Great War: Myth and Memory (2007) Dorothy L. Sayers, Murder Must Advertise (1933) Gary Sheffield, Leadership in the Trenches: Officer-Man Relations, Morale and Discipline in the British Army in the Era of the First World War (Basingstoke: Macmillan, 2000) Henry Ogle and Michael Glover (ed), The Fateful Battle Line: The Great War Journals and Sketches of Captain Henry Ogle MC (1993) H. F. Maltby, A Temporary Gentleman (1920) Ian Isherwood, Remembering the Great War: Writing and Publishing the Experiences of World War I (2017) John Bourne, ‘British Generals in the First World War’ in Gary Sheffield (ed), Leadership and Command: The Anglo-American Military Experience since 1861, (London: Brassey's, 1997) pp. 93-116 John Bourne, ‘The BEF's Generals on 29 September 1918: An Empirical Portrait with Some British and Australian Comparisons’ in Peter Dennis and Jeffrey Gray (eds), Defining Victory 1918, (Canberra: Army History Unit, Dept of Defence, 1999), pp.96-113. Martin Petter, (1994). ‘Temporary Gentlemen’ in the aftermath of the Great War: Rank, status and the ex-officer problem. The Historical Journal, 37(1), 127-152. doi:10.1017/S0018246X00014734 Michael Roper, The Secret Battle: Emotional Survival in the Great War (2009) Paul Harris, The Men Who Planned the War: A Study of the Staff of the British Army on the Western Front, 1914-1918(2015) Peter Simkins,‘ ‘Building Blocks’: Aspects of Command and Control at Brigade level in the BEF’s Offensive Operations, 1916-–1918’ in Gary Sheffield and Dan Todman (eds), Command and Control on the Western Front: The British Army’s Experience 1914-18, (Staplehurst: Spellmount, 2004) R.C. Sherrif, Journey's End (1928) Reginald Hill, The Wood Beyond (1995) Robert Graves, Goodbye to All That (1929) Royal Military College Sandhurst, ‘Syllabus of the Course of Instruction (For Three-Term Course)’, 1912 Siegfried Sassoon, The Memoirs of George Sherston (1928-1936) Tim Halstead, ' "A Ragged Business": Officer Training Corps, Public Schools and the Recruitment of the Junior Officer Corps of 1916' in Spencer Jones (ed) At All Costs: The British Army on the Western Front 1916, pp. 414-429. Also see his forthcoming More Than Victims of Horace: Public Schools 1914-1918 (Helion, 2022)

What effect did the First World War have on football? This month we're joined by Dr Alexander Jackson (National Football Museum) to discuss the ways in which the First World War and football affected each other during and after the conflict. Along the way we discuss football as a recruitment tool, tensions regarding amateur status, and the reason why some football pitches aren't as equal as others... References: Jackson, A. Football’s Great War. Pen & Sword, 2022