Name: My Grandparents' War
Genre: Documentary
Released: 2019-11-27
Rating: 7.3

My Grandparents' War

2019Returning Series7.32 seasons8 episodes

In this four-part documentary series, leading Hollywood actors undertake a fascinating journey into their family's past by re-tracing the footsteps of their grandparents during World War Two. We follow the moving, personal stories of Helena Bonham Carter, Mark Rylance, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Carey Mulligan as they travel to historic locations, from the beaches of Dunkirk to prisoner of war camps in Asia, to learn about the war their grandparents experienced. All of the actors have unanswered questions about the scars war left on their grandparents, and in each episode one of the actors explore how six years changed the lives of their family and the world forever while learning about the life and death decisions that their grandparents faced.

Status

Episodes

1. Helena Bonham Carter

2019-11-27 | 47m

Helena Bonham Carter relates how her grandfather defied orders by helping Jewish people escape the Holocaust, while her grandmother volunteered as an air raid warden and campaigned for women's rights

2. Mark Rylance

2019-12-04 | 47m

Actor and peace campaigner Mark Rylance explores the extraordinary World War II story of his grandfather Osmond Skinner, who spent almost four years as a Japanese prisoner of war

3. Kristin Scott Thomas

2019-12-11 | 47m

Actor Kristin Scott Thomas uncovers the story of how her grandfather William saved thousands of lives at Dunkirk while serving as a commanding officer in the Royal Navy throughout World War

4. Carey Mulligan

2019-12-18 | 47m

Actor Carey Mulligan explores how her grandfather traveled thousands of miles to fight the Japanese in the final months of World War II, and lost his closest friends from a kamikaze attack at sea