A new factual drama has been commissioned by the BBC, entitled The Windermere Children.
The feature length drama will depict the extraordinary true story of 300 child survivors of the Holocaust, who were relocated from the liberated camp of Theresienstadt to Britain.
In August 1945, a coachload of children arrived at a defunct war factory in Lake Windermere, where they were housed in the empty workers’ accommodation.
Based on the first-person testimony of the survivors, the programme will follow the efforts of child psychologist Oscar Friedmann (Thomas Kretschmann, The Pianist) and his team of counsellors as they try to help these traumatised children reclaim their lives.
The Windermere Children will also star Romola Garai (The Miniaturist) as the art therapist Marie Paneth, Tim McInnery (Strangers) as the prominent Jewish philanthropist Leonard Montefiore and Iain Glen (Game of Thrones) as the sports coach Jock Lawrence.
Surrounded by the picturesque beauty of the lake, the children begin to heal by expressing their trauma through painting, playing football, learning English and riding bikes.
What follows is a redemptive tale of how the lifelong friendships forged at Windermere helped these children rebuild their lives in the aftermath of devastating tragedy.
The Windermere Children will be shown on BBC Two on the 75th International Holocaust Memorial Day, 27th January 2020.
