Remembrance & Veterans’ Day: Glorifying War?

Here on the second floor of BBC TV Centre, the floor-to-ceiling windows to my right look out over busy West London. At 11am today – the 11th day of the 11th month – the red London buses on Wood Lane below will all pull over.  Many people normally in a rush will stop in their tracks in the street. A couple of miles away, the Queen will lay a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior.

They’ll all stand silent for 2 minutes and remember the war dead - 91 years after the First World War officially ended.

But the one British man still alive who was actually there doesn’t want to remember.

On air: The Crescent and the Cross

LISTEN TO OWEN’S PROGRAMME HERE.

The BBC is running a major documentary series called “The Crescent and the Cross”.

Here, the presenter, Owen Bennett Jones,  (who will co-host WHYS tonight) starts a conversation about some of the things he discovered while making the programmes.

Are you playing virtual war games today?

WARNING: This official trailer contains scenes of war

It’s the biggest video game launch ever …

Broadcast from the Berlin Story bookshop

Almost the start of the World Have Your Say broadcast for the Berlin Story bookshop.

What is the next ‘wall’?

Hillary Clinton says, “Our history did not end the night the wall came down.” Her point is that there are many more walls that stand between people and freedom. Many of you are celebrating the fall of the Berlin Wall, but which barrier would you like to see come down next?

Wunder gibt es immer wieder or Miracles can happen

Here are Charlotte Wolff and Sonke Seig talking about their play ‘Wunder gibt es immer’. They are performing it downstairs at the Berlin Story bookshop were we are doing our broadcast from later.

 

Walking away from the Brandenburg Gate

Ros at Brandenburg Gate

Ros at the Brandenburg Gate ahead of the celebrations and festivities.

What the fall of the wall meant to me: 3

What the fall of the wall meant to me: 2