In 1940 Britain stood alone as Hitler's armies swept across Europe. Against the backdrop of high political drama, ordinary people - soldiers, pilots, firemen, nurses and secretaries - relive those critical months. The first of four programmes sees how, within days of becoming prime minister, Winston Churchill faced Dunkirk and the real possibility of defeat.

There is an immediacy about this series recalling the events of 1940 that sets it apart; men and women communicate the intensity of their wartime experiences, which younger generations, thankfully, missed. The historical facts are there but what makes the programmes so compelling is the honest exploration of human feelings in the face of death. This second instalment recalls the grim summer months between the fall of France and the Battle of Britain. There are lighter moments but also some haunting recollections here, as Britain faced Nazi Germany alone. American journalist Whitelaw Reed hurried to Britain to cover events. "The invasion of Britain was going to be the biggest story since the birth of Christ," he says, but the country rallied as the miracle of Dunkirk somehow masked military disaster.

Continuing the series using first-hand testimony to recall the events of 1940. The Battle of Britain begins, the start of three weeks of intense combat in the skies over southern England.

The series ends with an account of how British soldiers and civilians responded to Germany's increased attack in 1940. A week after the bombing of Britain's cities began. spirits were lifted when the RAF intercepted a major raid. But although Hitler cancelled his plans to invade, night bombing continued on the home front, along with a punishing U-boat campaign and air attacks.