P.O.W.

Some of the posters on this have it right: this is for the most part a pretty routine dealing with the ordeals of a group of British POW's in a German POW camp. Truth be told, the movie wouldn't have much credibility if it broke new ground on this point because, truth be known, the ordeals of POW's is a matter for history, and only can be reflected in more or less accurate ways in film.

For my part however, I really did enjoy the film. There are of course some moments of unimaginable cruelty, as there always seems to be in times of war- however by and large, the performances were sharp, and the movie while its not exactly light material, was done in earnest and with good intent.

Oh, and I have to say, James D'Arcy is one fine looking lad, and seeing him in a sheepskin flight jacket will always be welcome with me!

I thought that some of the story lines were quite good, although familiar to anyone who has seen The Great Escape – and who has not? – but I cannot say anything else good about this poorly-directed series.

Why do not directors seek advice from those in the know, i.e. actual serving or former servicemen? If the director of this series did in fact consult, then he was poorly served! The lack of attention to detail is so bad that the series could have been made by the BBC; the lead character, Flight Sergeant Caddon, is supposed to be a RAF aircrewman but there is no flying brevet above the left breast-pocket of his tunic, and the badges of rank are wrong: a flight sergeant wears a crown above a sergeant's stripes.

British military tradition would never allow a mere corporal to hold the apparent position of second-in-command under the Senior British Officer when personnel of higher rank are available: reference was made in one episode to the Regimental Sergeant Major so, if there were no other commissioned officers, he would be 2i/c: and if there were no RSM, Caddon would be 2i/c - a flight sergeant is two ranks above a corporal.

I assume that the series was made with the US market in mind as the US influence is all too apparent. The corporal is seen in one episode to carry out an about-turn in the US Army's amateurish fashion, rather than in the military manner of the British soldier. And there are no circumstances – NONE WHATSOEVER – under which a British serviceman salutes when he is not wearing a hat!

This series may afford a little light entertainment to an audience who knows nothing about the British forces, but anyone who has served the Crown will be sorely disappointed by it.

CJ Allen (RAF 1963-1987)

I adored watching that series. Now I want to know where I can buy the DVD of the series that will play in North America. I just ordered one from the US, but discovered that it is only in UK format. I want to watch it on TV, not on a computer. Any suggestions? I thought the acting was fantastic, and that each story told in the weekly programs was top- notch. It was gripping stuff to watch. When it first appeared on TV, I read that the writers had done their research and interviewed many prisoners of war. Although there are probably many small inadvertent errors in the filming and/or story lines, I still feel that, overall, the series is excellent. When it ended, I wanted another series to be written. So far that has not happened, alas. I suppose it's better to have a series end on a high note than have it continue and perhaps fizzle out!

P.O.W. centres around the escape attempts of several British officers in a Prisoner of War camp in Germany. The lead, Jim Caddon, is played by James D'Arcy (Master and Commander, Nicholas Nickleby) and the series starts off with his capture and subsequent transport to the camp. At first untrusted by the other officers, Jim eventually becomes good friends with a number of men and is brought into the folds of the escape committee.

Each episode is very neatly wrapped up at the end, with nothing being left unanswered. This helps if you happen to miss an episode, however it can be frustrating because when the episode finishes the men are usually right back where they were at the beginning of the episode.

Several episodes are based around fairly violent and emotional topics such as rape, murder and a man is even lit on fire(!), so this is definitely not one for the under 15s.

Fine acting and a brilliant script keep this series action-packed, and while its historical accuracy can be questioned, all in all it's a jolly good ride.

If you liked POW I recommend The Great Escape.

While "P.O.W." won't be ranked in the alltime great TV series it is a well done and accurate piece of British quality drama.

"P.O.W." does honour to the real prisoners of war by telling their story in all it's heroism but also not forgetting the sides of their captivity which are taboo..

Supporting actors Patrick Baladi and Ewan Stewart stand out especially well in their roles, Baladi as the calm CO. and Stewart as the Scottish NCO who heads of the escape commitee. Both deliver their roles without falling into any clichés.

Also the shooting location in Lithuania passes well of as the WW2 German rural country.