BBC First World War centenary season The BBC First World War centenary season is the marking of the centenary of World War One across the BBC . Programming starts in 2014 and will last until 2018 , like the time frame of the war . The BBC season will include 130 newly commissioned programmes which will last over 2500 hours . The programmes will be broadcast by BBC One , BBC Two , BBC Three , BBC Four , BBC Parliament , BBC News , BBC Alba , CBBC , CBeebies , BBC World Service , BBC Radio 1 , BBC Radio 2 , BBC Radio 3 , BBC Radio 4 , BBC Radio Cymru , BBC Radio Ulster , BBC Radio Foyle , BBC Radio Scotland , BBC Radio nan Gàidheal and BBC Asian Network . History . The First World War centenary season was announced on 16 October 2013 by the BBC . Adrian Van Klaveren , the BBC World War One Centenary controller called the project the " biggest and most ambitious pan - BBC project ever commissioned " . Programmes . Documentaries . " Britain ' s Great War " . " Britain ' s Great War " will be co - produced with The Open University and presented by Jeremy Paxman . The series explores how Britain and its people were affected by the war . The series will be broadcast on BBC One and there will be four episodes with each episode lasting 60 minutes . " Teenage Tommies " . " Teenage Tommies " will broadcast on BBC Two and last 60 minutes . In this documentary , Fergal Keane discovers the stories of child soldiers . " The Story Of Women In World War One " . " The Story Of Women In World War One " documents the accomplishments of women during the war . Kate Adie will present it and it will air on BBC Two . " Royal Cousins At War " . " Royal Cousins At War " will consist of two parts , each lasting 60 minutes . The first part looks at the tensions between Queen Victoria ' s family members . The second part looks at how the European royal families contributed to the war . It will air on BBC Two and was produced by Blakeway Productions . " Pipers Of The Trenches " . " Pipers Of The Trenches " is a 60 minute documentary that will air on BBC Two . " The Machine Gun & Skye ' s Band Of Brothers " . Presented by Neil Oliver , the 60 minute documentary will air on BBC Two and describes the Maxim gun . " My Great War " . This 60 minute documentary will broadcast on BBC Two . It is based on interviews conducted 50 years ago for " The Great War " . " Gallipoli " . " Gallipoli " will focus on the Gallipoli Campaign which took place in the Ottoman Empire . The production company for this 60 minute documentary is Blakeway Productions and it will broadcast on BBC Two . " The World ' s War " . David Olusoga , a historian and film - maker , tells the First World War from the perspective of Indian , African and Asian troops . The two part series will broadcast on BBC Two . " Tommy And Jerry ' s Camera " . Testimony Films made this hour - long documentary for BBC Four . Photographs which were taken by British and German soldiers will have their stories revealed . " Forgotten Heroes - Indian Army In The Great War " . BBC Radio 2 tells the story of men from the British Indian Army through their letters . " Keep The Home Fires Burning " . This 60 documentary on BBC Radio 2 is about Ivor Novello and " Keep the Home Fires Burning " , the war song he composed in 1914 . " 1914 - Day By Day " . Margaret MacMillan will present daily from June to August 2014 . Created by Somethin ' Else , it is split into 42 parts with each one lasting four minutes for BBC Radio 4 . " How Britain Went To War " . Peter Hennessy describes how Britain planned the war on BBC Radio 4 . " Month Of Madness " . Christopher Clark explains the reasons for the war from the perspective of Sarajevo , Saint Petersburg , Berlin , Paris and London . Each part of the five - part series will run for 15 minutes and is produced by Blakeway Productions . " Voices Of The First World War " . " Voices Of The First World War " will be co - produced by Imperial War Museum s and made for BBC Radio 4 . The series describes what happened according to those who were fighting . " Real Time World War One on the Jeremy Vine Show " . " Real Time World War One " sees Jeremy Vine present events as they unfolded on BBC Radio 2 . Unique Productions produced 15 15 - minute parts . " The War That Changed The World " . Amanda Vickery presents the series which sees BBC World Service , BBC Radio 3 and the British Council partner to show the impact of the war on the different countries that took part . " India ' s Forgotten War " . Anita Rani tells us about India ' s response to the war in this documentary . " I Don ' t Remember The War " . In this series on the BBC World Service , writers aged under 36 explore what their ancestors did during the war . Historical Debate . " The Pity Of War " . Niall Ferguson argues that Britain should have stayed out of war in this 90 minute debate for BBC Two . " The Necessary War " . Max Hastings argues in " The Necessary War " that Britain was right to enter the war in this 60 minute debate for BBC Two . " To War " . Mark D ’ Arcy describes the Parliamentary speeches and political actions that lead to Britain fighting in the war on BBC Parliament . " Long Shadow " . David Reynolds goes over the legacy of the war . The three - part series was produced by ClearStory for BBC Two . " Rethinking The Culture Of World War One " . In " Cradle Of Jazz " Alyn Shipton tells us about the birth of jazz as a result of African - American troops being sent to America and Europe with their music . In " Life In The Tomb " Angela de Angelis adapts one of Greece ' s novels about the war . " Minds At War " is about Thomas Mann , Otto Dix and Rose Macaulay . " Woman ' s Hour " . " Woman ' s Hour " shows how the war affected women . " The Battle For The Meaning Of World War One " . " The Battle For The Meaning Of World War One " questions which version of the war we commemorate . Arts & Music . " Artists Of War " . This documentary will be presented by Andrew Graham - Dixon and will feature Walter Sickert , David Bomberg and Paul Nash . Children . " Horrible Histories " . A 40 - minute episode of " Horrible Histories " describes how Girl Guides passed secret information , the war trench es and the football match during the Christmas truce . " Emily ' s Army " . " Emily ' s Army " is a three - part series set during the war . " My Story " . Nicky Campbell presents this 15 - minute special which compares the past with the present . " Operation Ouch ! " . A special episode of " Operation Ouch ! " shows what medicine was like during the war . Special Editions . " The Antiques Roadshow " . Two episodes of " Antiques Roadshow " will mark the 2014 centenary on BBC One . " Songs Of Praise " . Two episodes of " Songs of Praise " filmed in Belgium and France will mark the centenary on BBC One . The first one , " The Shadow Of War " , will broadcast in August 2014 and will be presented by Bill Turnbull . The second episode , " War And Peace " , is about the carols which were popular during the war . " The Why Factor " . Mike Williams looks at sacrifice and memorialisation .