Island at War

*Island at War*
Island at War
Written by	Stephen Mallatratt
Starring	James Wilby; Clare Holman; Owen Teale; Julia Ford; Philip Glenister; Saskia Reeves
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	1
No. of episodes	6
Production
Executive producers	Sita Williams; Andy Harries
Running time	approx. 398 min
Original release
Network	ITV
Release	11 July –; 15 August 2004

Island at War is a British television series that tells the story of the German occupation of the Channel Islands. It primarily focuses on three local families: the upper class Dorrs, the middle class Mahys, and the working class Jonases, and four German officers. The fictional island of St Gregory serves as a stand-in for the real-life islands of Guernsey and Jersey, and the story is compiled from the events on both islands.

Produced by Granada Television in Manchester,^[1] Island at War had an estimated budget of £9 million and was filmed on location in the Isle of Man from August 2003 to October 2003. When the series was shown in the UK the following year, it appeared in six 70-minute episodes.

Cast

James Wilby as James Dorr
Clare Holman as Felicity Dorr
Sam Heughan as Phillip Dorr (aka Mr Brotherson)
Owen Teale as Wilf Jonas
Julia Ford as Kathleen Jonas
Sean Gallagher as Sheldon Leveque
Saskia Reeves as Cassie Mahy
Julian Wadham as Urban Mahy
Joanne Froggatt as Angelique Mahy
Samantha Robinson as June Mahy
Louisa Clein as Zelda Kay
Philip Glenister as Baron Von Rheingarten
Daniel Flynn as Captain Muller
Colin Tierney as Oberwachtmeister Wimmel
Conor Mullen as Oberleutnant Walker
Andrew Havill as Oberleutnant Flach
Laurence Fox as Bernhardt Tellemann
Richard Dempsey as Eugene La Salle
Ann Rye as Ada Jonas
Sean Ward as Colin Jonas

Episodes

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Original air date
1	1	"Eve of War"	11 July 2004 (2004-07-11)
The invasion by the Germans of the Channel Island St Gregory appears imminent and evacuations are begun.
2	2	"Living With the Enemy"	18 July 2004 (2004-07-18)
The occupation by the Germans begins, resulting in clashes with the local population.
3	3	"To Catch a Spy"	25 July 2004 (2004-07-25)
The hunt for the second spy on the Island continues.
4	4	"Strange Mercies"	1 August 2004 (2004-08-01)
As French prostitutes arrive for the Germans, the romance between Bernhardt and Angelique grows. Zelda goes into hiding with Cassie.
5	5	"Unexpected Mercies"	8 August 2004 (2004-08-08)
The threatened arrest of Eugene's parents by the Baron leads to increased defiance of the islanders. Bernhardt goes on a bombing mission. Cassie begins an affair.
6	6	"Unusual Successes"	15 August 2004 (2004-08-15)
June discovers that Angelique is in love with Bernhardt. Walker locates the man who has injured June and beats him to death. James gives Philip information he has on the Germans on the island. Sheldon agrees to take Zelda and Philip to England, but plans go awry.

Reception

Overall, the miniseries earned more favourable reviews in the United States than in the United Kingdom. In a review by Anita Gates for The New York Times, Gates wrote, "You can call Island at War a soap opera, as some British television critics have, but if that's true this soap opera is a gripping, poetic one—about moral courage in many guises. You might also call it a drama of manners."^[2] New York magazine called the series "reasonably absorbing but no great classic."^[3] In the Channel Islands themselves the series faced widespread criticism in the local press owing to inaccuracy, mispronunciation of names (for example, 'Mahy' was pronounced 'Mah-hee' rather than 'Ma'yee') and the fact that the series was filmed not on the islands themselves but on the Isle of Man. The Guernsey Press noted that "the programme caused outrage among many people who accused the producers of distorting Guernsey history."^[4]

DVD release

The complete DVD collection was released in 2008, by Acorn Media UK. The DVD received a second release in 2017 by Network.

Cancelled second series

Although highly successful during its initial transmission the series ended rather abruptly. The writer Stephen Mallatratt died from cancer shortly after the series was broadcast. This, coupled with the high production cost and controversy over historical accuracy, meant the series came to an end. Each episode cost around £1 million to produce.