71 - Dad's Army
Oh! What a lovely podcast
Can a conscientious objector be a hero? Branded is widely regarded as one of the finest episodes of Dad's Army, combining comedy with a thoughtful exploration of courage, duty, and prejudice. When Captain Mainwaring discovers that the gentle Private Godfrey was a conscientious objector during the First World War, the platoon quickly brands him a coward. But the truth is far more complicated. In this episode, Angus, Jessica and Chris discuss how accurately Branded portrays conscientious objection, what it reveals about attitudes to the First World War, and why this remarkable episode...
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70 - The Blind Detective
Oh! What a lovely podcast
Can a crime novel help us understand the long shadow cast by the First World War? In this episode of Oh! What a Lovely Podcast, we explore Christina Koning's acclaimed Blind Detective series. The novels follow Frederick Rowlands, a veteran who lost his sight at Ypres and must navigate the challenges of postwar Britain using his memory, hearing, and sharp intuition. Set against the backdrop of the 1920s and 1930s, the series combines engaging mystery stories with a rich portrayal of a nation living with the social, cultural, and personal consequences of the Great War. Jessica, Chris, and Angus...
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69 - Agatha Christie & The Seven Dials Mystery
Oh! What a lovely podcast
What happens when a classic Agatha Christie story is reimagined with the memory of war lingering behind it? In the latest episode of Oh! What a Lovely Podcast, Jessica, Chris and Angus are joined by , author and host of , to discuss Agatha Christie’s The Seven Dials Mystery and its recent Netflix adaptation. Unlike the familiar worlds of Poirot and Miss Marple, The Seven Dials Mystery blends mystery, comedy and espionage into a lighter and more adventurous story. The new adaptation embraces that spirit while reworking elements of the narrative for modern audiences, including giving the First...
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68 - For King and Country
Oh! What a lovely podcast
Was patriotism in the First World War really shared by all, or was it shaped and enforced from above? In the latest episode of Oh What a Lovely Podcast, we speak with Richard Batten about his book For King and Country, an examination of patriotism in Devon during the First World War. Using Devon as a case study, Richard explores how local elites tried to encourage, direct, and sometimes police patriotic behaviour on the Home Front. From recruitment drives and conscription tribunals to charity work, farming, and fishing, the conversation looks at the many ways people were expected to serve the...
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67 - My Soul, A Shining Tree
Oh! What a lovely podcast
What does the First World War look like when it arrives not as a battle, but as an invasion of home, family, and childhood? In this episode of Oh! What a Lovely Podcast, we discuss My Soul, A Shining Tree, a novel by Jamila Gavin that explores the opening months of the First World War through the experiences of children, civilians, and young soldiers caught up in the German invasion of Belgium in 1914. References: Jamilia Gavin, My Soul, A Shining Tree (2025) Christopher Clark, The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914 (2013)
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66 - A Very Long Engagement
Oh! What a lovely podcast
What does the First World War look like when the story is driven not by battles, but by loss, hope and unanswered questions? In this episode of Oh! What a Lovely Podcast, we turn to A Very Long Engagement, Jean Pierre Jeunet’s 2004 French film set during and after the First World War. The story centres on Mathilde, a young woman who refuses to accept that her fiancé has died after being condemned by a French military tribunal and sent into No Man’s Land. As Mathilde begins her own investigation, the film moves between the violence of the trenches and the fragile hopes of life on the home...
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65 - The Choral
Oh! What a lovely podcast
Can a film about the First World War work without trenches or battles? In this episode of Oh What a Lovely Podcast, Angus, Jessica and Chris discuss the 2025 film The Choral, which uses song, performance and collective experience to explore the impact of the First World War on a northern English community. We talk about what the film gets right, where it challenges expectations, and how it fits into wider portrayals of the war on screen.
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64 - Christmas Truce
Oh! What a lovely podcast
Can a story about soldiers shaking hands in the snow carry a warning for the nuclear age? This episode of Oh What a Lovely Podcast brings Jessica, Chris and Angus together with Anne Marie Einhaus for a conversation about Robert Graves short story Christmas Truce. The story appears in the Penguin Book of First World War Stories and follows an elderly veteran who recalls the rare moments in 1914 and 1915 when soldiers on both sides met peacefully in the frozen landscape between the trenches. Through these memories the veteran describes friendship that cuts through wartime propaganda, as well as...
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63 - Blackadder
Oh! What a lovely podcast
Was Blackadder Goes Forth the most powerful portrayal of the First World War ever put on television? In this episode of Oh! What a Lovely Podcast, Jessica, Chris and Angus take a look at the enduring legacy of Blackadder Goes Forth. First broadcast on BBC One in 1989, the series blended sharp wit and biting satire with a surprisingly moving look at life – and death – on the Western Front. The team discuss how the show evolved, the historical realities behind its humour, and why that unforgettable final scene still resonates decades later. They also explore how Blackadder helped shape...
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62 - Fall of Eagles
Oh! What a lovely podcast
How did the First World War bring down Europe’s great dynasties, and how did the BBC retell that story on screen? In this episode of Oh What a Lovely Podcast, we look at Fall of Eagles, the 1974 BBC drama that charts the decline of the Romanovs, Hohenzollerns, and Habsburgs. Across 13 episodes, the series follows the personal rivalries, dynastic struggles, and political failures that led to the collapse of three empires during the Great War. Created by John Elliot and produced by Stuart Burge, the show boasted an impressive cast and scripts from writers such as Jack Pulman (I, Claudius) and...
info_outlineWhat opportunities did the First World War provide for cultural tourism?
This month Angus, Jessica and Chris speak to Allison Bennett, winner of the 2023 Gail Braybon Award for her work on war-time cross-cultural sexual encounters during the First World War. Along the way we discuss #MeToo, and the post-war legacies of these encounters for families, and the popularity of the Pyramids and camels as a tourist attractions.
References:
Gallipoli
Peter Stanley, Bad Characters
Alexia Moncrieff, Expertise, Authority and Control
Alan Beyerchen and Emre Spencer (eds.), Expeditionary Forces in the First World War
Tomas Irish, Universities at War
Rudyard Kipling, Kim
The Arabian Nights