New telling of Laconia incident...

longdog499 · 07-19-08, 10:35 AM

From the Daily Mirror newspaper Friday 18th July...

Boys from the Blackstuff writer Alan Bleasdale to pen new series about a Nazi submarine

By Mark Jefferies 18/07/2008

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The writer of 80s telly classic Boys from the Blackstuff is to pen a new series about a Nazi submarine.
It will be the first drama in more than 20 years Alan Bleasdale has written for the BBC.
His new work will tell the story of the infamous Laconia Incident, which changed maritime warfare.
British vessel RMS Laconia was torpedoed and sunk by a German U-boat on September 12, 1942.

When its captain, Werner Hartenstein discovered the ship was carrying civilians and Italian PoWs as well as British soldiers he attempted to shepherd 200 survivors to safety against the orders of the Nazi high command. They were crammed on the top of the vessel with Red Cross flags draped over its guns to appeal for rescue.
But a US bomber assumed it was a trick and attacked, killing many survivors.
Bleasdale, 62, said: "This is an astonishing tale of bravery, humanity, warmth and near madness. Every writer must dream of being given a story such as this."
BBC2 Controller Roly Keating said: "Alan Bleasdale has written classic TV drama so it is fantastic to bring his ambitious new work to the channel."
Boys from the Blackstuff, set in Bleasdale's native Liverpool, tells the story of five jobless tarmac layers and was a bitter blast at Thatcherism. Its stars included Bernard Hill as Yosser Hughes.
Bleasdale's last piece for the BBC was The Monocled Mutineer in 1986. Laconia is a British-German co-production.

07-19-08, 10:35 AM	#1
longdog499 Torpedoman Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Wales U.K. Posts: 119 Downloads: 304 Uploads: 0	New telling of Laconia incident... From the Daily Mirror newspaper Friday 18th July... Boys from the Blackstuff writer Alan Bleasdale to pen new series about a Nazi submarine By Mark Jefferies 18/07/2008 Related Articles The writer of 80s telly classic Boys from the Blackstuff is to pen a new series about a Nazi submarine. It will be the first drama in more than 20 years Alan Bleasdale has written for the BBC. His new work will tell the story of the infamous Laconia Incident, which changed maritime warfare. British vessel RMS Laconia was torpedoed and sunk by a German U-boat on September 12, 1942. When its captain, Werner Hartenstein discovered the ship was carrying civilians and Italian PoWs as well as British soldiers he attempted to shepherd 200 survivors to safety against the orders of the Nazi high command. They were crammed on the top of the vessel with Red Cross flags draped over its guns to appeal for rescue. But a US bomber assumed it was a trick and attacked, killing many survivors. Bleasdale, 62, said: "This is an astonishing tale of bravery, humanity, warmth and near madness. Every writer must dream of being given a story such as this." BBC2 Controller Roly Keating said: "Alan Bleasdale has written classic TV drama so it is fantastic to bring his ambitious new work to the channel." Boys from the Blackstuff, set in Bleasdale's native Liverpool, tells the story of five jobless tarmac layers and was a bitter blast at Thatcherism. Its stars included Bernard Hill as Yosser Hughes. Bleasdale's last piece for the BBC was The Monocled Mutineer in 1986. Laconia is a British-German co-production.