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First Light

Drama-documentary telling the story of Geoffrey Wellum who, at the age of just 18, was one of the youngest Spitfire pilots to go into combat in the Battle of Britain.

Thrown into the crucible of the most violent air war ever seen, a boy barely out of school is determined to fight for survival. However, the price of victory will be more than he can bear. Seventy years later, that same boy is still yearning to be free.

At the age of just 18, Geoffrey Wellum was one of the youngest Spitfire pilots to go into combat in the Battle of Britain. Desperately fighting to survive from moment to moment, Geoffrey's rites of passage are unimaginable to most - but his experience is a direct parallel with the intensity of back-to-back conflicts faced by so many young men and women serving in our armed forces today.

The universality of his story is as relevant today as it was in 1940.

1 hour, 19 minutes

Last on

Sat 1 Aug 2015 22:10

Credits

Role Contributor
Boy Sam Heughan
Older Boy Geoffrey Wellum
Brian Kingcombe Ben Aldridge
Tommy Lund Alex Robertson
Mac Gary Lewis
Bevington Paul Kynman
Davy Paul Tinto
Trevor 'Wimpey' Wade Jordan Bernarde
Drummond Alex Waldmann
Grace Tuppence Middleton
Dad Richard Walsh
Producer Matthew Whiteman
Director Matthew Whiteman
Writer Caleb Ranson
Writer Matthew Whiteman

Broadcasts

  • Tue 14 Sep 2010 21:00
  • Tue 14 Sep 2010 22:30
  • Mon 27 Sep 2010 02:40
  • Sat 22 Oct 2011 22:30
  • Sat 1 Aug 2015 21:10
  • Sat 1 Aug 2015 22:10