Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Haunted by the horror of war
of the
DANNY BOY BBC2, 9pm THIS is a gripping true story of a young man’s journey from hero to alleged war criminal, starring Anthony Boyle and Toby Jones.
The feature-length drama is based on the real-life experiences of Iraq veteran Brian Wood (Boyle).
We first see him on May 14, 2004, heading into the Battle of Danny Boy, named after the British checkpoint in southern Iraq.
A platoon of British soldiers has been ambushed and Sergeant Wood’s battalion is sent in to help.
On his return from war, the soldier, married with a young son, receives the Military Cross for gallantry.
But later he discovers that he has been accused of terrible war crimes by the Iraq Historic Abuse Team, represented by human rights lawyer Phil Shiner ( Jones).
The two men go head-to-head in a legal and moral conflict that takes viewers from the battlefield to the courtroom, and one of Britain’s biggest ever public inquiries, the Al-sweady Inquiry.
Memory, evidence and trauma collide, as Brian finds himself caught on the fine line between war and unlawful killing.
After his service in Iraq and years of legal investigation, will he ever be able to look his family in the eye again and be the husband, father, and son they need him to be?
Anthony Boyle says: “I’m thrilled to be telling Brian’s extraordinary story. We get to explore not just the realities of war, but how they can come back to haunt you.”
A thought-provoking drama about searching for truth in the fog of war.