How YOU can sing along with Vera
FRIDAY, MAY 8
THE NATION REMEMBERS
BBC1, 11am
Nationwide two-minute silence to mark the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe, paying tribute to heroes past and present.
THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF VICTORY
BBC1, 2.45pm
Tribute to the war generation including Churchill’s radio address from Downing Street at 3pm on May 8, 1945, announcing the end of hostilities. Celebrities will read personal testimonies from the day’s celebrations, there’ll be music by military bands, and Prince Charles will read an extract from his grandfather George VI’s diary for May 8.
THE ONE SHOW
BBC1, 7pm
Hour-long special.
THE PEOPLE’S CELEBRATION
BBC1, 8pm
Hosted by Sophie Raworth, an evening’s entertainment with some of Britain’s top musical talent performing songs from the 1930s and 1940s, such as Bluebirds Over The White Cliffs Of Dover and When The Lights Go On Again. Artists include Katherine Jenkins, Adrian Lester, Anton Du Beke, Shane Richie and Helen George. Interviews with those who remember the day.
THE QUEEN
BBC1, 9pm
At the exact time of day that her father, George VI, spoke to the nation in 1945, Her Majesty makes her own address. Followed by the whole country joining a singalong of We’ll Meet Again, led by Dame Vera Lynn, 103, from a window at her home in Sussex.
REMEMBERING VICTORY
BBC1, 9.10pm
Sir David Attenborough, Patrick Stewart and June Whitfield, among others, share memories of the end of the conflict.
CAPTAIN TOM’S WAR
ITV, 8pm, ITV
Documentary about former Army officer Captain Tom Moore, 100, just made an honorary colonel
after raising more than £32 million for the NHS by doing laps of his garden. Features Tom’s time serving in India and Burma.
DAD’S ARMY
ITV, 8.30pm
Film remake from 2016 of the classic series, starring Toby Jones, Bill Nighy and Catherine Zeta-Jones.
OTHER TV CHANNELS
VE DAY: THE LOST FILMS
C5, 7pm
Eyewitness accounts and cine films of everyday life – some in colour.
TONY ROBINSON’S VE DAY
The Discovery Channel, 9pm
Presented by Tony Robinson. The
day r et ol d minute by minute, from soldiers’ first tentative steps out of PoW camps to Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret slipping out of Buckingham Palace to mingle unrecognised with the public.
VE DAY IN COLOUR
Together TV, 9.30pm
Memories of the day from servicemen such as the PoWs who yearned for their first hot bath for years.
RACE TO VICTORY
History UK, 9pm
Analysis of the uneasy alliance formed by Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin against Hitler.
RADIO
JEREMY VINE SHOW SPECIAL
Radio 2, 12pm
FULL WORKS CONCERT
Classic FM, 8pm
Concert of music and words presented by Sir Nicholas Soames, who will recite famous quotes and speeches of his grandfather, Winston Churchill.
SPITFIRE: THE PEOPLE’S PLANE
BBC Sounds podcast available from May 8
Ten- part series presented by actress Tuppence Middleton about the fighter – which played an iconic role in the Battle of Britain – and its pilots.
OTHER PROGRAMMES
VE DAY IN COLOUR
Today, C4, 8pm
Documentary about the experiences of everyday folk.
OUR FINEST HOURS
Tomorrow to Friday, BBC1 11.45am (different in Wales)
Sophie Raworth narrates a series comparing the Blitz spirit to how we’re now facing Covid-19.
BRITAIN’S GREATEST GENERATION
Tomorrow to Thursday, BBC2, 7pm (6.30pm Thursday)
Four-part series on the inspirational stories of men and women who fought in or lived through the Second World War.
CHURCHILL
Tomorrow to Thursday, BBC2, various times
Series profiling the man who symbolised Britain’s war effort.
COUNTDOWN TO PEACE
Wednesday, Yesterday channel, 8pm
Colour film footage from the streets of London, Paris and New York, as well as in villages, on VE Day.
DAME VERA LYNN: WE’LL MEET AGAIN
Thursday, BBC1, 7.30pm
After the war time singer’ s recent We’ll Meet Again duet with Katherine Jenkins to raise money for the NHS went to No 1 in the iTunes chart, this film tells her remarkable life story with help from her daughter, Virginia.
RADIO
WITNESS HISTORY
Tomorrow to Friday, BBC World Service, 8.50am and 12.50am
Series including first-hand archive accounts of Hitler’s death, the Soviet occupation of Berlin and how Germany has since commemorated VE Day.
A definitive guide to how you can enjoy the celebrations on TV on Friday