Colditz (2005 TV series)

Colditz is a two-part 2005 television drama miniseries, based on the book Colditz: The Definitive History by Henry Chancellor, and the Channel 4 television series Escape from Colditz. It is not claimed to be historically accurate.[1] It features an ensemble cast headlined by Damian Lewis and Sophia Myles and was directed by Stuart Orme.[2] The screenplay was written by Peter Morgan and Richard Cottan.

This article is about the 2005 ITV TV miniseries. For the 1955 film, see The Colditz Story. For the 1972–1974 BBC TV series, see Colditz (TV series).

Colditz
Written by
Directed byStuart Orme
Starring
ComposerRichard Harvey
No. of episodes2
Production
Executive producers
  • Justin Bodle
  • Andy Harries
  • Francis Hopkinson
ProducerStephen Smallwood
Production companyGranada Television
Release
Original networkITV (United Kingdom)
First shown in27 March 2005 (episode 1)

Synopsis

The series tells several stories of various, mostly British, prisoners of war in the Second World War and their attempts to escape Colditz. The first episode features a fictionalised account of an actual event when three inmates Dick Lorraine, John 'Bosun' Crisp, and the 'Medium Sized Man', Flt Lt Dominic Bruce OBE MC AFM KSG MA RAF attempted to escape using the castle sewers. In reality the escape team were discovered when they attempted to exit a manhole. The Germans threatened to throw grenades down into the sewer chamber and, as the escapees could not reverse back up the sewer pipe, they were forced to surrender. They were immediately put in front of a firing squad, but unlike the fictional TV account, the guards did not fire. Just before the order was to be given, Bruce lost his temper and approached the officer in charge, Eggers, saying "you can shoot us, but after the war we'll hang you". Eggers stood the squad down. An account of this escape can be found in Reel Five of the oral history version given by Flt. Lt. Bruce to be found in the Imperial War Museum Sound Archive.[3]

Cast

Release

As of November 2010, Colditz has been released on DVD[4] and Blu-ray[5] in Region 1 and on DVD in Region 2.[6]

Awards

In 2006, it won the BAFTA Television Craft Award for best sound design in a fiction or entertainment.[7]

See also

Oflag IV-C#Television and TV movies

References
  1. "Damian's marriage escape". Manchester Evening News. 16 February 2007. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  2. "Colditz drama planned for ITV". BBC News. 31 March 2003. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  3. "Bruce, Dominic (Oral history)".
  4. amazon.com listing for Colditz on DVD
  5. amazon.com listing for Colditz on Blu-ray
  6. amazon.co.uk listing for Colditz on DVD
  7. "Colditz". 27 March 2005 – via IMDb.
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