Days of Hope
| Days of Hope | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Jim Allen |
| Directed by | Ken Loach |
| Starring |
Paul Copley Pamela Brighton Nikolas Simmonds |
| Theme music composer | Marc Wilkinson |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of episodes | 4 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Tony Garnett |
| Cinematography |
Tony Pierce-Roberts John Else |
| Editor(s) | Roger Waugh |
| Running time | 410 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC One |
| Original release | 11 September – 2 October 1975 |
Days of Hope is a BBC television drama serial produced in 1975. The series dealt with the lives of a working-class family from the turmoils of the First World War in 1916 to the General Strike in 1926. It was written by Jim Allen, produced by Tony Garnett and directed by Ken Loach.
Days of Hope is included on the Ken Loach at the BBC DVD box-set released in 2011.
The first two episodes of the series were given 15 certificates: the first episode for strong language, and the second for strong language and moderate violence. This resulted in the entire box-set's being certified as 15, although none of the other films in the collection included had a 15 certificate.
The second episode has a violent scene in which a miner's daughter is interrogated by an army officer. This scene includes an early use of the word fuck on the BBC, which pre-dates the use by the Sex Pistols the following year.
Episodes 3 and 4 revolve around dialogue rather than action; they were given PG certificates.
The first episode of Days of Hope caused considerable controversy in the British media owing to its critical depiction of the military in World War I, and particularly over a scene where conscientious objectors were tied up to stakes outside trenches in view of enemy fire after refusing to obey orders. An ex-serviceman subsequently contacted The Times newspaper with an illustration from the time of a similar scene. In an interview, Loach said that numerous letters were written to newspapers about small inaccuracies (e.g. the soldiers' marching formations) but relatively few challenging the main narrative of events.
Winston Churchill is portrayed very negatively in the series, which highlights his opposition to strikes. Ken Loach said in an interview that the media were particularly offended by a line that compared Churchill to a vulture and Lenin to an eagle.
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