HMD marked with raft of programmes
► THE BBC is to show a series of special programmes to mark Holocaust Memorial Day, 75 years since the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.
As well as producing the national Holocaust Memorial Day event, the BBC will be airing several factual programmes as well as dramas.
Comedian and writer David Baddiel will be investigating Holocaust denial and, in a two-part series, celebrity judge Rob Rinder will help the children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors retrace their relatives’ footsteps.
The BBC will also be showing a onehour documentary telling the story of the Belsen concentration camp through interviews with some of the few remaining survivors and dramatic reconstructions.
There will be a new drama about the Windermere children, a group of young Holocaust survivors who were brought to the Calgarth Estate by Lake Windermere after the war, starring Thomas Kretchmann, Romola Garai and Tim McInnerny.
There will also be a programme on Radio 3 commemorating the liberation of Auschwitz through words and music.
BBC Director General Tony Hall said: “This is an important moment to stop and reflect on a period in our history which showed both the worst, and the
best, of the human spirit.
“That’s why we’ve invested in drama, documentary and events to mark the 75th anniversary. We’ll be telling new
stories, as well as sharing first-hand testimonies from those who lived through the horror of the concentration camps.
“It’s our responsibility as the nation’s public service broadcaster to bring these stories to new generations — and I’d like to thank the Holocaust
Memorial Day Trust, and our European media partners, for their invaluable support.
“Together, we’re offering everyone the chance to reflect on the consequences of prejudice and hatred, and in doing so we’ll ensure that the millions of lives lost in the Holocaust are not forgotten.”
Olivia Marks-Woldman, chief executive of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, said: “We are delighted to be working with the BBC to enable millions of people across the country to learn more about the Holocaust, Nazi Persecution and more recent genocides through the broadcast of the national ceremony for Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD), as well as additional factual programming.
“At a time when identity-based prejudice and hostility is worryingly prevalent in the UK and internationally, HMD is an opportunity to learn about the consequences of hatred when it is allowed to exist unchecked.
“At this important moment, 75 years after the liberation of Auschwitz, we are asking people to Stand Together against prejudice, and in memory of those who were murdered during the Holocaust, under Nazi Persecution and in genocides which have taken place since.”
The chance to reflect on the consequences of prejudice and hatred’