Wartime Farm
| Wartime Farm | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Stuart Elliott Naomi Benson |
| Starring |
Peter Ginn Ruth Goodman Alex Langlands |
| Narrated by | John Simm |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of episodes | 8 + 1 (Christmas Special) |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | David Upshal |
| Running time | 1 hour per episode |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC Two |
| Original release | 6 September 2012 |
Wartime Farm is a British historical documentary TV series in which the running of a farm in the Second World War is reenacted, first broadcast on BBC Two on 6 September 2012. It was made for the BBC by independent production company Lion Television in association with the Open University, and was filmed at Manor Farm Country Park close to Southampton. The farming team consisted of historian Ruth Goodman, and archaeologists Alex Langlands and Peter Ginn.
In 2010 the farming team had turned Morwellham Quay in Devon back to how it was in Edwardian times in the programme Edwardian Farm; in 2009 the team had embraced the Shropshire estate of Acton Scott, which they ran in Victorian style for a full calendar year in the programme Victorian Farm; and in 2004 they started their cooperation with Tales from the Green Valley, exploring life on a British farm in the 17th century. The Wartime Farm commissioning executives for the BBC are Emma Willis and James Hayes, and the Executive Producer for Lion Television is David Upshal.
An associated book by Langlands, Ginn and Goodman—Wartime Farm: Rediscovering the Skills and Spirit of World War II—was published in 2012. In addition, a free booklet was made available to viewers in the UK and Ireland, by the Open University.
First broadcast on BBC Two and BBC HD on Thursday 6 September 2012 at 8pm. As with the previous series, Victorian Farm, Edwardian Farm and Tales from the Green Valley, the first episode begins with the team moving into a cottage farm, this time in Hampshire. With a second European war looming on the horizon, the team set about making a number of improvements to the farm. The installation of electric lighting (from a portable petrol-powered generator) allows them to work later into the evenings, while household labour-savers like a Hoosier cabinet, paraffin range cooker, electric clothes iron and linoleum flooring mean Ruth can spend more time aiding the war effort and less time on household chores. Alex and Peter, meanwhile, set about constructing a Mole Subsoiler from scrap farming equipment, to drain their waterlogged clay fields. However, with time running out and their improvised subsoiler literally buckling under pressure, they are forced to plough and sow through the night without draining the field, despite warnings from the local "War Ag" over potential water damage.
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