The 80th Anniversary of VJ Day on August 15th is to be marked with a host of special programming across all BBC platforms, including online, TV, iPlayer and BBC Sounds.
BBC TV Coverage
Ahead of the anniversary TV viewers will be treated to special editions of Antiques Roadshow and The One Show, both filmed at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.
On August 15th the Arboretum will also host a live commemorative event, VJ Day 80: The Nation’s Tribute, with some of the last surviving Second World War veterans of the campaign in the Far East and the Pacific in attendance.
BBC Breakfast and the News at One will also broadcast from the venue.
BBC Radio Coverage
BBC Radio 2’s Jeremy Vine Show will mark the anniversary with reflections on the final stages of the war and the voices of veterans who fought for Britain against Japan.
BBC Radio 4 coverage will include Kavita Puri’s three-part series The History Podcast: The Second Map (August 15th), Archive on 4: Exposing Hiroshima (August 2nd), Drama on 4: Hersey’s Hiroshima (August 10th), and a special edition of Any Questions? from the REME Museum (August 15th).
BBC Radio 5 Live will provide live coverage of the commemorations and observe the national two-minute silence while on August 13th Matt Chorley will broadcast a special programme live from the historic Cabinet War Rooms exactly 80 years after its doors were closed following Japan’s surrender at the end of WW2.
Online coverage will include a curated collection of content including first hand footage of the Burma Campaign plus as a trove of never-before-seen images which capture the final days of fighting in the Pacific Theatre and the first few months of life post-war in Hong Kong, China, and Japan.
Setting out the broadcaster’s plans, BBC Director-General Tim Davie said: “The 80th anniversary of VJ Day is a moment to honour the courage and sacrifice of all who served in the Far East during the Second World War.
“Through powerful stories and testimonies across our coverage, the BBC is proud to be able to pay tribute to these men and women and ensure that their service, bravery and fortitude are remembered.”