Danger UXB

Rating:
Summary: Great show and historically accurate too
Review: Although Anthony Andrews is the main charecter of this series, it is the exceptional cast that makes this series both entertaining and worth watching time after time. The entire cast, whether they are seen throughout the series or just in one episode are all exceptional. This series is so well done that I got the feeling that I was right there seeing the bomb being dug out. From the moment newly minted LT Ash discovers that he is in a bomb disposal section and no it is not a voluntary organization to the final destruction of a defused bomb on the heaths outside London, one is captivated by the realism of the situations and the true to life depiction of the men and women. I was stationed in Berlin in the late 70s and Britsh and American bombs were still being dug out of the ground in that city. Seeing bomb disposal in action makes this series much more interesting. This is a series that does much to bring a little known or appreciated aspect of World War II to an audience in the country that never had to go through what the British did in World War II. It is well worth seeing over and over again.

Rating:
Summary: A little known segment of British history
Review: Although Anthony Andrews is the main charecter of this series, it is the exceptional cast that makes this series both entertaining and worth watching time after time. The entire cast, whether they are seen throughout the series or just in one episode are all exceptional. This series is so well done that I got the feeling that I was right there seeing the bomb being dug out. From the moment newly minted LT Ash discovers that he is in a bomb disposal section and no it is not a voluntary organization to the final destruction of a defused bomb on the heaths outside London, one is captivated by the realism of the situations and the true to life depiction of the men and women. I was stationed in Berlin in the late 70s and Britsh and American bombs were still being dug out of the ground in that city. Seeing bomb disposal in action makes this series much more interesting. This is a series that does much to bring a little known or appreciated aspect of World War II to an audience in the country that never had to go through what the British did in World War II. It is well worth seeing over and over again.

Rating:
Summary: Warning!
Review: An excellent movie (as I remember it from years ago) but this is just a warning concerning the DVD. Although the web page indicates that it has closed captions, in fact it does not. There is no closed caption, nor does the DVD have subtitles.

Rating:
Summary: Clever, romantic, nailbiter docudrama of WWII London
Review: Brought to us by the same folks who gave us Upstairs Downstairs, this 1978 British miniseries (15 episodes total of about 50 minutes each)stars Anthony Andrews and Judy Geeson. I just saw it last week and was impressed by the timelessness of this movie.

Set in World War II London during the German bombings, this series tells the story of the genesis of military bomb disposal technology and personnel. It is so historically and technically accurate that the US Military today shows it as part of its training of US bomb disposal personnel (EOD - Explosive Ordnance Demolition). I know this because I watched it with an Army EOD Tech who told me she first saw it during EOD training.

But while it showcases the trial and error methods (the error part being the not happy part of the whole process) devised to disarm unexploded bombs (UXB's) that fell in London (many of which were programmed to detonate some period of time after they fell to earth), it also depicts the atmosphere and wartime culture of World War II London and the humanity of the military personnel who had their lives put on the line (this was before this line of duty became voluntary) to protect the lives of their countrymen and the infrastructure of their country.

The writing, acting, film editing, and photography were superb. The chemistry among the large ensemble cast was brilliantly developed and carried throughout all episodes of the series.

The only drawback to this film is one that apparently only I experienced, and it's the same one I experience during all British films, that being that, until I get acclimated to the accents, I need subtitles -- but that goes away quickly. I suggest turning up the volume a little louder than usual until getting used to the speech cadences.

You'll never guess it was done in 1978...

Rating:
Summary: UXB is still the best British WWII Miniseries ever produced.
Review: DANGER UXB is still the best WWII Miniseries ever produced by the British. It combines excellent character development with superb narrative development. It is very realistic in its portrayal of romance and drama. No other series in this genre has been as great as Danger UXB.

Rating:
Summary: Danger UXB
Review: I loved this series when I saw it years ago. Not only was it well-done, it was quite interesting. I didn't know much about bomb disposal, and although I knew about the blitz I didn't realize until I saw this series how dreadful it must have been to live through.

When I watched the videos recently, I found out I have become a wimp. I just couldn't take the stress and anxiety, had to leave the room a few times until my husband said it was safe to come back.

So, this is fair warning - if you can't take suspense, don't watch this. Otherwise very interesting, although Brian Ashe gets a little annoying by the end of the series. However, the actor who played the role is great, Anthony Andrews, and he went on to play Sebastian in Brideshead revisited. It was interesting, too, to see the actor who later played Ronald Merrick in Jewel in the Crown. In Danger UXB he plays a scientific geek, quite different from the sinister Merrick.

Rating:
Summary: Heroes at Home
Review: I waited almost 20 years after seeing one episode on PBS to finally own this complete set. It was very much worth the wait. You can always count on the BBC to do right by telling a story. Besides historically accurate, the acting and plots are first rate. I'm only sorry that the series was so short.

Rating:
Summary: Danger UXB Masterpiece of Television Drama
Review: In 1979, Public Television launched this important look at another set of heroes during the London blitz days of 1940. Much outside of the ordinary, this chilling, tension filled drama unravels with characters from a bomb disposal unit who constantly risked their lives in a learn -as -you- go approach to unexploded bombs. This story follows one unit headed by Lt. Ash,( Anthony Andrews) from his innocent first arrival during the confusion of pre-invasion days to his becoming a veteran of defusing live ordinance.Perhaps the most fascinating feature is the constant introduction of new inventions in order to assist UXB men in their trade. Characters come in and out in dramatic fashion, blowing up attempting to dismantle a type 17 (booby trap) bomb or by fate. We begin to believe that perhaps nothing is going to happen to Lt. Ash until "The Pier" episode is shown, where he becomes the victim of friendly fire. I should mention that all of the stuff that happens beyond Ash receiving the letter from his girfriend ending the relationship is created fiction beyond what Hartley had written in the book. It (the book) being rather short, the screenplay writers developed the characters admirably further on into the war and we are all the better for it. A tremendous series, one of the best ever and is in urgent need of DVD development. Watching this program through to completion will leave you with a feeling that you will never view things in the same way ever again. Very effective!

Rating:
Summary: Really suberb
Review: When compared to the quality of American eforts of the time (1979), UXB is more than impressive.

I originally brought it home from the library, expecting another cheap-looking but well acted BBC production a la "House of Cards." Imagine my suprise to see motion picture-quality production values in a 12-hour miniseries. UXB really doesn't miss a step.

Based on Major AB "Bill" Hartley's memoir "Unexploded Bomb" ... , UXB is everything you could hope for--terrific acting, storylines and production values. Just top-notch all around.

...

Rating:
Summary: Read the "English Patient" for some more details on UXB
Review: Whilst, not having watched this series yet (but will do after reading the very useful reviews). I would recommend reading "The English Patient" by Michael Ondaatje with some short, very descriptive passages about a sapper called Kirpal Singh and his time training and working in London and throughout Europe disarming UXBs. One of the sources for this piece of work was "Unexploded bomb" by Major A. B. Hartley which describes the construction of bombs and the British bomb disposal units at the start of WW2.