Testament of Youth — Season 1
A time when war overshadowed everything but hope
About this season
A dramatization of Vera Brittain's 1933 autobiography Testament of Youth—a memorial to a generation devastated by WWI—chronicles her experiences as a nurse in London and Malta and at the front lines in France. It opens with 18-year-old Vera, the genteel daughter of a paper-mill owner, nurturing "hopes of escaping from provincial young ladyhood." Her plan is to attend Oxford.
Episodes (5)
1. Buxton 1913
8.0Aired 4 November 1979 • 52 min
In 1913, eighteen year old Vera Brittain tries to convince her stuffy, Conservative parents to allow her to attend Oxford, while war looms on the horizon.
2. Buxton 1914
8.0Aired 11 November 1979 • 53 min
Working hard at Oxford, Vera decides to contribute to the war effort by becoming a nurse, while Roland heads abroad to fight for his country.
3. 1915
8.0Aired 18 November 1979 • 55 min
As the war continues to rage, Vera receives devastating news from all sides, which forces her to reconsider her future.
4. 1917
8.0Aired 25 November 1979 • 55 min
After another loss, Vera retreats into nursing, but the demands of her parents, and yet more tragedy, begin to overwhelm her.
5. 1918
8.0Aired 2 December 1979 • 55 min
Vera returns to Oxford, where she strikes up a friendship with a fellow student, before beginning to concentrate on writing.