Station X (1999)

Country

United Kingdom

Length

1 season, 4 episodes

Rating

7.0 of 10 from 1 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This series tells the true story of how British codebreakers cracked Germany's Enigma code during World War Two. It uses short dramatized scenes and interviews with veterans to explain the people and events involved.

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What happens

Station X is a British television documentary series detailing the story of how Germany's Enigma code was broken. It was broadcast on Channel 4 in 1999. John Smithson was executive producer. It was accompanied by the "Channel 4 Books" publication Station X: The Codebreakers of Bletchley Park (1998), authored by Michael Smith which became a UK Number 1 bestseller. The first episode aired on Channel 4 on 19 January 1999. Tim Gardam, Channel 4's director of programmes, insisted that Station X be broadcast at the peak viewing time. The programme maker Peter Bate used full-scale reconstructions. Instead of a chronological narrative; Bate relied on short dramatised shots and anecdotes by various Bletchley veterans. Those featured included Peter Calvocoressi, Ralph Bennett, Mavis Batey, John Herivel, Lord Briggs, Donald Michie, Shaun Wylie, Leslie Yoxall and Alan Rogers. The story covered the contributions of various real life characters including Hans-Thilo Schmidt, Marian Rejewski, Henryk Zygalski, Jerzy Różycki, Geoffrey Tandy, Dilly Knox, Josh Cooper and Andrew Cunningham. The stories covered various aspects of the breaking of the Enigma naval codes, the captures from the U-boat U-110 and other relevant material from German weather ship Lauenburg and München and the German armed trawler Krebs during the Lofoten raid. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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