Our war is undeniably unique – I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything quite like it, at least not on the American TV that I watch. It felt honest and unbiased in a way that I find is rarely the case with most depictions of the war.
It seems odd to me that Our War was broadcast on a channel aimed at young people – typically, it is an older demographic of viewers who want to watch programs about the war, and usually those programs are either part of a more news-centric show or are on a documentary channel like History or the Discoverey Channel. You might find something like Our War – which seems much less about the war itself and much more about the people fighting it – on a pay cable channel like HBO, but this type of programming is both rare and not targeted to that young demographic on this side of the Atlantic.
The very fact of its broadcast on BBC3 calls into question the motives behind the program and the motives behind BBC3 itself. Is Our War meant to be some sort of propaganda aimed at either cheering on or attacking the war aimed at impressionable young people? Is it a tool for enlistment or a tool to show young people the horrors of war to ensure that future wars are few and far between?
To say that any of the above are true would be to give both Our War and BBC a heavily ideological slant that I’m not sure is there. Frankly, I think a viewer could read that episode as pro-war, anti-war and anything inbetween based on a personal ideology.
I don’t read Our War as a tool of propaganda, so that would indicate to me that either young people really are interested in seeing this kind of intimate and personal depiction of th soldiers fighting in Afghanistan or that perhaps they are not, and that the BBC therefore felt that presenting this story really is a form of public service. In that case, it is public service without a clear slant and is in many ways universal, which is likely the best kind of public service there is.
I’d be interested to see the number of viewers that tuned in for Our War and their ages. If it did well, it says something about what young people really want to be watching or about how aware of worldwide issues young people want to be, and if it didn’t, it might be just the type of public service programming that the BBC would lose if it ever went to an advertising model.
I also was curious to learn more about the ratings for Our War. It also interests me greatly why they decided to air it on a network primarily aimed at younger audiences. Regardless of these thoughts, I do believe that this is exactly the kind of programming that would be lost if BBC turned to an advertising model that is based primarily on ratings. In doing so, I would imagine that after some time, the BBC would nearly have to resemble the American broadcast networks, and as we have seen there has been no such documentary produced in the U.S. I think this documentary is a testament to the strength of the BBC system.
I agree with all of the above, especially the point about how different viewers could all glean something different from the program. Whether anti-war, pro-war, or indifferent I can see audiences clamoring to watch more episodes of this piece. American television needs to a find a way to film and showcase more documentaries like this…raw, unbiased, and engrossing.
Like you, I found that the most interesting aspect of this program is its unbiased, very raw portrayal of war and that it is this quality that makes the BBC such a unique and important institution. However, I think an interesting question is raised about the neutrality of the program when you consider that all the footage was provided by the ministry of war. Makes you wonder as a viewer if the ministry was hoping for a pro-war type documentary but the BBC instead delivered against their wishes?
I happen to agree with Maija on this one. I think the fact that “Our War” can be accused of being propaganda from a variety of angles–as pro-war, anti-war, and everything in between–means it is, in fact, just really good television. I think deep down, all television viewers really want is to be entertained–by laughing, crying, or enjoying thrills. The BBC (and in this case BBC3) is tasked with the unique responsibility of producing television to a different standard; as such we have quality programming such as “Our War.” As for the youth demographic and as to why this program was put on a youth-oriented network, I can see the logic. Our generation in particular has a specific relationship with the war–not only are the men on the show our age, but in general, our generation is perhaps in the most vocal support AGAINST the war, while also fighting it. This complex emotional relationship I think is why “Our War” is not only quality television, but quality television on a youth-oriented network.