Wipers Times, The2013

Director
Andy De Emmony

Acters

Ben Chaplin (Roberts)
Patrick FitzSymons (Deputy Features Editor)
Julian Rhind-Tutt (Pearson)
Steve Oram (Sergeant Harris)
Josh O'Connor (Dodd)
Jarrod Cooke (Henderson)

Based on the remarkable true story of a satirical newspaper published on the front lines of World War One, this poignant yet comedic drama revels in the extraordinary resilience of the human spirit in the face of overwhelming adversity.
It’s 1916 and Captain Fred Roberts, a diamond prospector-turned-soldier, leads a small detachment of British soldiers through the ruins of Ypres, whereupon he and his men make an amazing discovery in a bombed out building – an abandoned printing press. Roberts has an idea – why not produce a newspaper? It may not be the most obvious course of action in the middle of a war zone, but Roberts is a natural leader who, despite two years of service, has maintained his sense of humour. They call it ‘The Wipers Times’ – after the army slang for Ypres – and fill it with spoofs, jokes and subversive comedy in an effort to raise the soldiers’ spirits.
The newspaper proves a hit with the troops on the Western Front, however, its production and circulation is fraught with peril in the face of wartime horrors. Its penchant for lampooning the ‘top brass’ also incurs the wrath of the humourless Lieutenant-Colonel Howfield, who wants it banned. With the benevolent General Mitford on his side, can Roberts’ comic distraction to the mayhem of war survive?
“Wonderful.” – The Times
“A powerful meditation on the futility of war that is also hugely entertaining.” – The Observer
“A fabulous subject, a scintillating script and a wonderful cast, manages to be bitingly funny, wittily inventive and achingly poignant all at the same time.” – The Daily Telegraph