Danny Boy: BBC teases new war drama film
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Danny Boy will be arriving on BBC Two on May 12, and the TV show will air in a single episode. Writer Robert Jones called the series “a very personal tale of courage, character and the intricacy of conscience”. Express.co.uk has all you need to know about the inspiration behind the programme.
Is Danny Boy based on a true story?
The show follows soldier Brian Wood (played by Anthony Boyle) and a human rights lawyer, Phil Shiner (Toby Jones).
The two men go through a legal battle that became known as the Al-Sweady Inquiry.
Danny Boy is in fact based on the real-life Colour Sergeant who was accused of war crimes on his return from Iraq.
He was part of the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment and was awarded the Military Cross following the Battle of Danny Boy in 2004.
During the battle, he led the first bayonet charge in 25 years and was praised for taking control of the situation.
When he was back from Iraq, he was told there had been allegations made against himself and his regiment.
The claims had come from the Iraq Historic Abuse Team, and they included the mistreatment of prisoners.
Wood was part of the Al-Sweady Inquiry that ensued, and it was found some of the claims made against him had been false.
The allegations were later dropped during the inquiry.
Lawyer Phil Shiner was found guilty of misconduct during the trial, and falsification of certain claims.
The real-life soldier went on to publish a book in 2019 called Double Crossed: A Code of Honour, A Complete Betrayal.
The book recalled his time in Iraq as well as his involvement with the Al-Sweady Inquiry.
He has also spoken on national television about the false allegations made against him, as part of a Good Morning Britain segment in 2017.
Filming for BBC Two’s Danny Boy started in 2020 and the thought-provoking drama sheds light on what happened.
The BBC said: “Memory, evidence and trauma collide, as Brian finds himself caught on the fine line between war and unlawful killing.
“After his service in Iraq and years of legal investigation, will he ever be able to look his family in the eye again and be the husband, father, and son, they need him to be?”
Actor Boyle spoke out about researching the story, and he said he initially did not want to meet with the real-life soldier.
He said: “I originally didn’t want to meet Brian before filming as I didn’t want it to cloud my judgement on how I was going to play the role.
“But I ended up meeting him alongside Sam Miller a few days before we started shooting and it couldn’t have been more beneficial.
“We spoke for about eight hours straight. That man has been through things not many people on the planet have, so to hear him speak was endlessly fascinating.”
He described the series as an exploration of truth, justice and trauma.
The show is directed by Sam Miller and he said it was made up of “very candid and intimate moments”.
He wanted people to understand the impact of modern war by delving into this unforgettable event.
Soldier Wood is on social media and he has been promoting the series, which tells his real-life story.
He shared a clip from the show and it featured a conversation between Wood and his father.
He said: “As we start #mentalhealthawarness week I would like to share this clip from Danny Boy (a conversation I actually had with dad). I found it very difficult to reintegrate into family life and talking about the aftermath of war. I eventually got help and it changed my life.”
Danny Boy airs at 9pm on Wednesday May 12 on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.
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