Churchill: Path To Victory

Channel 5, 9pm

As the in-depth biography of Winston Churchill (right) gets past the halfway stage, the focus moves on to how he conducted himself as a wartime Prime Minister, steering Britain from the ‘darkest hour’ of 1940 to victory five years later.

History reveals the vital role Churchill played in securing the alliances with the US and the Soviet Union to thwart Germany, but what is clear here is how much depended on his personal touch. Among the revelations we learn how Churchill made a point of commandeering a bedroom opposite President Roosevelt on an important visit to the White House.

But alongside the brilliance and charisma were his bellicose, stubborn nature – illustrated in 1944 when George VI himself had to ensure that Churchill didn’t imperil the D-Day landings by leading from the front in person. ★★★★★