At the centre of the BBC's VE Day 70 Concert last night Chris Evans introduces the concept of letter writing to the 14,000 audience and millions of viewers at home and abroad.
The spotlight moves along the enormous stage in Horseguards Parade to where Honeysuckle Weeks as Chotie, her long blonde hair fastened in 'forties working style, sits writing to her sweetheart Dicker. He (played by Lawrence Fox) is at the front line, a pile of sandbags depicting the 'brewed up' house he has sheltering in to write to Chotie.
Reading their last letters to each other (Dick was killed in March 1945), they are newlyweds separated by the war. Behind them the huge screen features photos and letters from the blog of Dick's letters, posted on this website Chotie Darling.
I'm sitting in the heart of London. Union Jacks fly all round among the flags of other Allied nations. Robert Lindsay is reading Churchill's speeches from a Whitehall balcony and a host of brilliant actors, dancers, musicians, glorious singers and modest veterans have taken us back to World War 2, deftly weaving a tale of tragedy, grit and joy to bring us to VE Day 70. As searchlights sweep once more from Westminster and St. Paul's I've never been so proud and grateful for the generation who sacrificed so much for our freedom today.
Many thanks to Clare Hore of the BBC for finding the website (and me) and producing such a fantastic commemorative event.
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