Dunkirk

There is an immediacy about this series recalling the events of 1940 that sets it apart; men and women communicate the intensity of their wartime experiences, which younger generations, thankfully, missed. The historical facts are there but what makes the programmes so compelling is the honest exploration of human feelings in the face of death. This second instalment recalls the grim summer months between the fall of France and the Battle of Britain. There are lighter moments but also some haunting recollections here, as Britain faced Nazi Germany alone. American journalist Whitelaw Reed hurried to Britain to cover events. "The invasion of Britain was going to be the biggest story since the birth of Christ," he says, but the country rallied as the miracle of Dunkirk somehow masked military disaster.