A PRODUCTION team from a Dorset village have been filming on a national television documentary that will hit out screens on D-Day.

Aaron Young and Freya Eden-Ellis from Bright Button Productions, based in Broadmayne, were asked to provide production services for a BBC Two programme called Normandy ’44: The Battle Beyond D-Day.

It will be shown at 9.30pm after a day of commemorative programming to mark the 70th anniversary of D-Day today with the documentary following historian James Holland as he travels Normandy and goes beyond the beaches to reassess the vicious 77-day battle for Normandy that followed the landings.

The Bright Buttons team, who were enlisted by producers Mayan Vision International, spent more than four months working on the programme including two stints filming over in France.

Aaron said that it was a ‘privilege’ to relive the story of so many brave souls who fought in the battles of Normandy. “It’s a generation that is passing and passing quickly now, as we have seen with World War One that window has now closed, so with distance and reflection it’s nice to be able to tell the whole story.”

Aaron added that, while they were keen to recognise the major logistical efforts behind the D-Day landings and the bravery shown on that day, the programme aimed to look beyond that.

He said: “The Normandy campaign was a totally brutal 77-day campaign where nearly half a million lives were lost in the space of three months on all sides.”

As well as filming in Normandy the crew also shot footage in Weymouth, Portsmouth, Buckinghamshire and Herfordshire and Aaron described it as a ‘great experience’.

n The D-Day picnic in Weymouth takes place tomorrow and not as previously stated. The free event is at the Nothe Gardens from 1pm to 3pm.

Today the Echo will be running a live blog to report the events of D-Day as they would have happened. We will be bringing you more stories of the heroes, coverage of commemoration events, video content and the unforgettable speeches of D-Day. Visit dorsetecho.co.uk for all this and more.

You can also follow us on Twitter. @DorsetEcho

 

BRIGHT Buttons have also been working on a project as part of a major celebration of Broadmayne’s role as a base for American troops before D-Day.
They have been working with the Broadmayne World War Two Society to screen a documentary on the re-enactment events that are being held on the weekend of Friday, June 20 to Sunday, June 22.
There will be a host of celebrations in the village to mark the fact that it was a camp for over 3,000 American soldiers ahead of D-Day.
A military camp with re-enactors and military vehicles will also be set up and there will also be a dance and a cinema night.
Bright Buttons have already been filming re-enactors in the village for the first of two films, which will be screened at the event.
The second film will chart the re-enactment event itself.