Inside the BBC's VE Day coverage: ‘We must protect the veterans at all costs'

Telegraph

04-05-2025

The 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, on Thursday, may be the last significant milestone for many of those who risked their lives to end the Second World War, and, given that the 75th anniversary of VE Day fell during the early phase of the coronavirus pandemic, this week's commemorations feel like one big last hurrah to celebrate the ultimate victory over Nazi Germany. A large military parade takes place tomorrow, and there will be a morning memorial service at Westminster Abbey and a star-studded evening concert at Horse Guards Parade on VE Day itself.
These landmark events will be broadcast by the BBC, with an expected audience of millions. The plans to co-ordinate the Armed Forces, the Royal family and pop stars are nightmarishly tricky. But Claire Popplewell, the BBC executive charged with overseeing the broadcasts and who has delivered coverage of previous global events, including the weddings of the Prince and Princess of Wales and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as well as Nelson Mandela's funeral and VE Day 75, knows that the most important people there will be the military veterans.
Popplewell says that her team is 'very aware' of the dwindling number of heroes who helped liberate the Continent from Adolf Hitler 's clutches, and 'we're talking to as many veterans as we possibly can' as part of the BBC's coverage. The oldest who has been interviewed is 108, with 'three or four' who are 106 or 107.
Does the fact that many of these people may not be around for the 90th anniversary add to the pressure? 'Possibly,' she says. 'The lovely thing with VE Day is that it crosses so many generations. It isn't just about those who fought on the front line, but so many people who were affected, whether it's those serving at home, whether it was the Land Army, or the ladies in the factories, or the evacuees, who are of a slightly younger generation, but were still hugely impacted by the Second World War.'
With nearly all the VE Day events taking place outdoors, thoughts inevitably turn to the unreliable British weather. After all, Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee Thames flotilla was marred by unseasonably heavy rain in June 2012, and Prince Philip was subsequently hospitalised with a bladder infection.
Popplewell tries not to worry about the weather. 'You can't change it, can you? I always hope... when the sun shines, it transforms an event,' she says. 'Many times I've watched Trooping the Colour where it has been so hot, you've had people fainting, or so wet that the puddles are massive on Horse Guards Parade. I don't even look at the forecast, because you will either be hopeful or worried. You've just got to go with it on the day.'
Former servicemen will not be exposed to any inclement weather this year. 'What we do is always to protect the veterans, so they will be under cover. The veterans have that duty of care.'
Popplewell has been creative director for events at BBC Studios, the corporation's for-profit arm, since November 2018. The years since have been unprecedentedly busy from a ceremonial-event point of view: the centenary of the end of the First World War in 2018, Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022, her death and funeral that September, then the King's Coronation in May 2023. On top of that are all the usual annual events, such as Trooping the Colour and the Remembrance Day service at the Cenotaph.
Popplewell says that she had no 'grand plan' to work in such a specialised field of broadcasting. Having started out as a producer of daytime programmes, she moved to sport and then food, where she was a director on Gary Rhodes's programmes. Her first taste of the ceremonial side of television was the Queen Mother's funeral in 2002. 'I love the discipline of live [TV], I love the fun. I like it when it almost goes wrong, but it doesn't... as long as it really doesn't.'
The most nerve-racking event of her career was Queen Elizabeth's funeral, which followed Popplewell working flat out to cover all the events after her death in the run-up to her being laid to rest. Tens of millions were watching in the UK alone. 'It had to be perfect,' she says. 'It was a complete lack of sleep by the time we got to that funeral day, because we had been going for so long.'
Of course, Huw Edwards was the commentator on both Queen Elizabeth's funeral and the King's Coronation. Now that Edwards is in disgrace, the cast of presenters appears to be widening, so as not to have one person dominating all national occasions. Sophie Raworth is anchoring the VE Day coverage from a studio in St James's Park, for instance.
'Sophie is our reporter for the Cenotaph,' says Popplewell, 'and she has an amazing connection with the veterans.'
Has the departure of Edwards, who had become the heir to David Dimbleby, changed how the BBC picks its presenters for these big national occasions? 'No. I don't think, in all honesty, anything has changed at all. The fact that people move on creates a natural opportunity for new people to come forward,' says Popplewell. 'Yes, Huw was a big part of our team. But Sophie has worked with us for equally as long.'
Some previous commemorations of military victories – including the centenary of the Battle of Passchendaele, in 2017 – have been criticised for being too gloomy in parts. In an attempt to avoid such comments this time, the Thursday-night concert, hosted by Zoe Ball, will feature Strictly Come Dancing stars performing to the music of the X Factor singer Fleur East, a mini-revival of Dad's Army starring Derek Jacobi and Larry Lamb, as well as the West End star Samantha Barks performing Vera Lynn's wartime classic We'll Meet Again.
'The thing about VE Day is, yes, you remember the sacrifice that people have made, but what is so special is this actually is a celebration. The overriding tone is [that of] a party,' says Popplewell. 'It's the nation coming together.'
While Popplewell's brief is to make an entire nation of TV viewers feel like they are part of proceedings this week, she is ultimately focused on those who risked their lives during the war. 'I just want the veterans to have a good time,' she says. 'More than anything, whether they are watching at home, or whether they are there, or whether it's their families, I want them to know the gratitude I think this nation does have for the sacrifices that so many of them made.'