Foyle's War

If you find stories about World War II Britain interesting I highly recommend the PBS series, Foyle’s War.  It begins its seventh season this summer.  The first five seasons are available on DVD.

The focus of Foyle’s War is crime on the home front.  Detective Chief Superintendent Christopher Foyle, played by Michael Kitchens, solves crimes in England during the war.  Most of the stories tie into the war effort in some way or another.  Foyle is supported by his young female driver, Sam Stewart, and Detective Sergeant Paul Milner, who lost a leg early in the war.  Themes include the effects of the blitz, Nazi sympathizers, black market activities, the air war, internal police politics, murder, and more.  Foyle, a veteran of World War I, desperately wants to rejoin the military, but is repeatly rejected on the grounds that he is badly needed in domestic law enforcement. 

For the most part the series is historically accurate and the scenery of the English countryside is gorgeous.  The characters ring true and the story lines are compelling, presenting a realistic picture of what war means for those who stay behind to contribute their part to the war effort on the home front.