ONCE UPON A TIME IN IRAQ

BBC Two, 9.00pm

“I’m happy that someone is listening to me,” says Um Qusay, a farmer’s wife from northern

Iraq. Thus, she neatly summarises the core appeal of this gripping new five-part documentary series, which bypasses politicians and top army brass to tell the story of the war in Iraq from the ground level, covering the eve of the coalition invasion in 2003 to the events of the present day. Central to this opening episode are soldiers, journalists and, crucially, Iraqi civilians who have endured so much over the past two decades and still wrestle with the pros (the deposition of a dictator) and cons (the anarchic and eventually sectarian chaos that ensued) of invasion.

Key contributors include recon marine and actor Rudy Reyes (seen in David Simon’s superb Iraq War miniseries Generation Kill); reporter Waleed Nesyif, chainsmoking his way through the traumatic memories; and Sally Mars, a schoolgirl at the time, who wondered if the gun-toting, backpackwearing Americans were Ninja Turtles. Everyone involved seems haunted by the war, and with Isil rumoured to be planning further offensives, the context they provide to today’s situation feels invaluable. Gabriel Tate

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