Leading Hollywood stars take deeply personal and emotional journeys to uncover what happened to their grandparents during major conflicts of the 20th Century.
As the world commemorates 80 years since the outbreak of World War Two, this extraordinary new series sees leading Hollywood actors undertake fascinating journeys into their family’s past as they re-trace the footsteps of their grandparents during that conflict.
Actor and peace campaigner, Mark Rylance explores the extraordinary World War Two story of his grandfather, Osmond Skinner, who spent almost four years as a Japanese Prisoner of War.
Kristin Scott Thomas’s grandfather William served as a Commanding officer in the Royal Navy throughout World War Two. He survived some of the most devastating battles from Dunkirk to D-Day but never spoke about his experiences. For the first time, Kristin uncovers how he saved thousands at Dunkirk and endured the horrors of the Russian Artic convoys. Kristin’s journey of discovery is packed with revelation and emotion as she meets the families of people her grandfather saved and veterans who served alongside him. Kristin unearths a lost chapter of her family history and reclaims a missing medal.
Carey Mulligan’s grandfather Denzil Booth, a teenager from the Welsh Valleys, travelled thousands of miles to fight the Japanese in the final months of the war. Carey discovers his university education meant Denzil was fast-tracked to be a junior officer in the Navy.
Both sets of Helena Bonham Carter’s grandparents, one in France, one in England, weren’t conventional war heroes. They didn’t fight in any battles but did save countless lives.
