P.O.W. (ITV 2003, James D’Arcy, Patrick Baladi)

Wartime drama series telling tales of life in a World War II German P.O.W. camp. The series tells the story of the solidarity between a group of lads thrown together in the face of adversity but with one common dream – freedom.

Flight Sergeant Jim Caddon (James D’Arcy) is the eyes and ears of the camp, instinctively looking out for his mates under the watchful eye of mentor Captain Richard Attercombe (Patrick Baladi). Fellow captives include petty thief Private Drew Pritchard (Joe Absolom), whose nifty fingers prove useful when something needs swiping for the latest escape bid; Corporal John Stevens (Ewan Stewart), head of the Escape Committee and Private Larry Boyd (Craig Heaney), the joker of the pack. These and the 250 other young testosterone-fuelled men make up the inmates of Stalag 39.

With the unconditional support of his beautiful British wife Alice (Amelia Curtis), Kommandant Reinhold Dreiber (Anatole Taubman) is the German Officer charged with keeping order in the camp. His struggle to retain control over his oppressive regime culminates in the callous abuse of his power.

P.O.W. is a tale of young lads, bonding to fight their own personal war. The only things that keep them going are their sense of fun and team camaraderie, long-awaited letters from home, coded messages on the World Service and the thought of getting back to fight for their country.

P.O.W. witnesses the dramatic and pioneering attempts the men make to escape. Down to the finest detail, each escape operation is painstakingly planned from engineering secret tunnels to providing fake German military buttons and forged work documents – utilising the individual skills gained by the men’s mixed backgrounds.

production details
UK / ITV – A Company Pictures production / 6×50 minute episodes / Broadcast 10 October – 14 November 2003

Executive Producers: Charles Pattinson, George Faber, Matt Jones / Producer: Victoria Fea

cast
James D’Arcy as Jim Caddon
Joe Absolom as Drew Pritchard
Patrick Baladi as Captain Attercombe
Anatole Taubman as Kommandant Dreiber
Ewan Stewart as John Stevens
Craig Heaney as Larry Boyd
Shaun Dooley as Brown
Sam Spruell as Wilkes
Amelia Curtis as Alice Dreiber