BBC’s Classic WWII Series From 45 Years Ago Is Getting A Reboot

A BBC classic war series is officially getting a reboot.

The renowned British broadcaster has been around for over 100 years, producing a wide range of movies and television series. Some of its popular content includes Call the Midwife, Happy Valley, and Line of Duty. Even then, one of its most popular sci-fi series Doctor Who, which launched in the 1960s, is still running today, though it’s undergoing a tender process. Now, one of the network’s classic series from the 1980s is being rebooted four decades later.

Deadline reported that Two Brothers Pictures is rebooting the World War II series Tenko, after producing hits like Fleabag and The Assassins. Jack and Harry Williams founded the production company.

Additionally, Anna Symon will pen the show’s new version, while original creator Lavinia Warner was approached for the reboot. The same report also revealed that Two Brothers Pictures will develop a television adaptation of the 2011 romance movie Chalet Girl, starring Felicity Jones and Ed Westwick. Chief Creative Officer at Two Brothers Pictures shared the following statement about rebooting Tenko:

“We went to Lavinia Warner, who was the original producer and creator. She had a lot of relationships with the women, and the families of the women who were in the war camp, so she didn’t want to hand the reins over to just anyone, but she was really excited to work with us to bring it back.”

Tenko, which means roll call in Japanese, originally ran for three seasons from 1981 to 1984 and a special reunion that aired in 1985. The fictional story followed the lives of British, Australian, and Dutch women who were held in Japanese internment camps located somewhere in modern-day Indonesia. They were captured after the Fall of Singapore in early 1942. The original BBC series showed how the POW women had to survive the hardships, including poor living conditions, diseases, sexual abuse, and death.

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The ensemble cast featured Ann Bell, Stephanie Cole, Stephanie Beacham, Louise Jameson, Patricia Lawrence, Veronica Roberts, Emily Bolton, Jeananne Crowley, among others. The show came to fruition after Warner researched Margot Turner and decided to pursue a dramatic series focused on the female POWs of Japan. The writers were Jill Hyem, Anne Valery, and Paul Wheeler.

After the series ended, multiple DVD and book releases followed, including paperbacks for each series. There is also a 2012 book that centers on the making of the show, Remembering Tenko. As of writing, the original WWII show is not available to stream in the United States. In the UK, however, Tenko is available to stream on Sky’s subscription and UKTV.

The Tenko reboot appears to be in the early stages, so no filming or release date has been announced yet.

Release Date

1981 – 1984-00-00

Network

BBC One

Directors

Jeremy Summers, Michael Owen Morris, David Askey, Pennant Roberts

Writers

Anne Valery, Jill Hyem, Lavinia Warner

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