STEPHEN FRY: WILLEM & FRIEDA – DEFYING THE NAZIS
Channel 4, 9pm
This moving, personal documentary sees Stephen Fry travel to the Netherlands to explore the story of Willem Arondeus and Frieda Belinfante, two artists who used their creative skills to forge identity cards that saved thousands of Jews from the horrors of the Nazi death camps during the Second World War. The feat is made even more incredible when we’re informed of just how sophisticated the Dutch Nazis’ identity card system was; each card the authorities issued also had a backup, stored in the Amsterdam Central Records Office. In an inspiring bout of bravery, Willem came up with a plan with fellow artists to destroy the building, and, in turn, the second copies. Understandably, Fry gets emotional at points, as he talks about his family’s experiences in the Holocaust and learns about Willem and Frieda’s respective homosexuality; the two faced different reactions when they revealed their true self. Historical documentaries such as this one offer an important reminder: for everything we know about the atrocities of the Nazis’ rule, there is yet more still to learn, particularly of the smaller human stories of bravery and sacrifice hidden behind the leaders – and to never forget.