Joe Maddison's War (TV 2010)

Tyneside ship-builder Joe Maddison lost his faith in the trenches at the Somme in 1916. Now that World War Two has begun he is too old to enlist alongside his son and son-in-law and is also... See full summary »

Director:

Patrick Collerton

Writer:

Alan Plater

Stars:

Sammy T. Dobson, James Atherton, Angela Lonsdale

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sammy T. Dobson	...	Sheila Maddison (as Sammy Dobson)
James Atherton	...	Tommy Cowell
Angela Lonsdale	...	Polly Maddison
James Baxter	...	Alan Maddison
Kevin Whately	...	Joe Maddison
John Woodvine	...	Father Connolly
Robson Green	...	Harry Crawford
Trevor Fox	...	Eddie Turnbull
Niek Versteeg	...	Billy Nicholson
Derek Jacobi	...	Mr. Simpson
Jackie Phillips	...	Lily Parkinson
Madelaine Newton	...	Jenny Barlow
Charlie Richmond	...	Sergeant Bull
Judi Earl	...	Woman 1
Sharon Percy	...	Woman 2

Storyline

Tyneside ship-builder Joe Maddison lost his faith in the trenches at the Somme in 1916. Now that World War Two has begun he is too old to enlist alongside his son and son-in-law and is also in a reserved occupation so, after his wife Polly has left him for a sailor,he joins the Home Guard with his friends,Marxist Eddie and cynical,wise-cracking Harry.Harry's anti-authoritarian attitude causes problems with Mr. Simpson,the company commander,and Joe leads the men out on strike after Harry is expelled. However,after he has dealt with an unexploded bomb he is acclaimed a hero,and,along with his friends, reinstated,being promoted to corporal.He also meets widow Selina who brings him out of his shell but Polly returns,with the sailor's child,seeking a reconciliation, a request which splits the family. Come 1945 and the war is ending but Joe still has his personal conflict to resolve.

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 September 2010 (UK)

Filming Locations:

Beamish Open Air Museum, Beamish, County Durham, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mammoth Screen

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min 110 min

Color:

Color (HD)

Did You Know?

Goofs

In the opening scenes at the shipyard early in 1940 Robson and others discuss joining the LDV (later in the war known as the Home Guard), but the Daily Sketch they are reading has a front page report on the German advance on Moscow which didn't happen until late 1941. Poor research by someone.

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Quotes

[Harry led the Home Guard in singing a ribald song. Mr Simpson, now calling himself Major Simpson, was appalled and has summoned Harry to his office]
Mr. Simpson: That song. It's indecent. Women and children could have heard it.
Harry Crawford: We were in the middle of the countryside. Didn't seem to bother the cows. Songs like that kept us going on the Western Front.
[Simpson shows Harry a photograph]
Mr. Simpson: I know just as much as you about the Western Front, Private.
Harry Crawford: You're a bloody liar! I know you'd like us to think that that ...
[...]

User Reviews

Good story - poorly portrayed

This was a good effort with some excellent performances from Kevin Whately, Derek Jacoby and Robson Green, who as a rule I don't reckon to be much of an actor. It was let down by some very poor production values, possibly driven by a low budget. The waves of bombers coming over at what looked more like 500' rather 10,000' were totally unconvincing, as were the pathetic pyrotechnic affects, with the unexploded bomb going off sounding like a Chinese cracker. Joe's son remained a sergeant all the way through the war despite flying on over 50 ops - that would never have happened, he would have almost certainly made warrant officer by the end. There were innumerable continuity errors - Joe goes out for a walk with his medal ribbons the right way up, half way through the walk they are suddenly upside down, and when he gets home they have disappeared altogether! Terrible. Shame the actors were let down by a sloppy production team. Not one I'd bother to watch again.