Overview

When Captain Fred Roberts discovered a printing press in the ruins of Ypres, Belgium in 1916, he decided to publish a satirical magazine called The Wipers Times - "Wipers" being army slang for Ypres. Full of gallows humour, The Wipers Times was poignant, subversive and very funny. Produced literally under enemy fire and defying both authority and gas attacks, the magazine proved a huge success with the troops on the western front. It was, above all, a tribute to the resilience of the human spirit in the face of overwhelming adversity. In his spare time, Roberts also managed to win the Military Cross for gallantry.

Genres

Cast

Ben Chaplin

Roberts

Julian Rhind-Tutt

Pearson

Michael Palin

General Mitford

Emilia Fox

Kate Roberts

Ben Daniels

Lieutenant Colonel Howfield

Josh O'Connor

Dodd

Steve Oram

Sergeant Harris

Patrick Fitzsymons

Deputy Features Editor

Hugh Skinner

Barnes

Richard Doubleday

ADC Bobby

Paul Kennedy

Winston Churchill

Emma Little

Field Nurse