National broadcaster gears up for two major show involving Southsea
With tickets for the D-day 80 events on Southsea Common on June 5 being snapped up within hours, the public are being advised not to come down to the seafront area if they don’t have tickets.
However, we will be able to watch it on BBC One and iplayer.
There are two key programmes on June 5:
D-day 80: The Allies Prepare from Portsmouth hosted by Dame Helen Mirren, presented by Anita Rani and JJ Chalmers
D-day 80: Tribute to The Fallen from Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s Bayeux War Cemetery in Normandy and Southsea Common anchored by Kirsty Young
Former Royal Marine and Invictus Games medalist turned TV presenter JJ Chalmers will be reporting on the D-day 80 national commemorative event from Southsea. He said:
“It is a privilege to be in the presence of Normandy veterans and in Portsmouth, where thousands of men embarked from. The day also offers me a chance for personal reflection.
"It's hugely important to honour and remember those who served and sacrificed their lives in the Normandy campaigns, especially to remind the younger generation, who have less connection to those who served in World War II. I grew up when World War II veterans were still vibrant and influential members of our society.
"It is essential for people to understand not just what these veterans did, but why they did it, and how we, as a society, a country, a Commonwealth, and a world, continue to benefit from their sacrifices and service.
“If I had served in the Marines during that era, I would have been on those beaches. I have trained as a Royal Marine Commando, preparing for such tasks, but I can't fully comprehend what it would have felt like to be on a beach in Normandy in June 1944. While I have experienced combat and conflict, it has never been on that scale or with such a significant level of loss.”
Kirsty Young will anchor the live broadcast from Bayeux Cemetery where a tribute to the fallen takes place, along with footage
It's hugely important to honour and remember those who served and sacrificed their lives
from Southsea.
She added: “The Allied Forces D-day plan was unprecedented in its scale and audacity, but beyond the tactical brilliance and awe inspiring statistics are the lives of so many much-loved young men. Our program will do its best to tell their stories and reflect too on the pride and sorrow of the families they left behind.
I’m honoured to be guiding viewers through the evening.
"The veterans and the fallen of D-day were selfless in their fight for democracy and freedom; understanding, honouring, and appreciating what they went through seems like time well spent. And as Winston Churchill so memorably said: “A Nation that forgets its past has no future”.