New Six-Part WWII Audio Drama Coming Soon from the BBC
Purple Heart Warriors
UPDATED: Added information on radio broadcast details for the audio drama.
On November 12, the BBC World Service published a press release saying their newest podcast will drop on December 9, 2024. “Purple Heart Warriors” will drop three episodes on the podcast feed at that date and release the remaining half one week at a time, starting on December 11. Alternatively, a boxset containing all six episodes will be available on December 9 as well. BBC World Service Radio will air the episodes weekly starting on December 11.
Purple Heart Warriors’ Synopsis
Oscar-nominated Iris Yamashita is writing the story. BAFTA-winning Japanese-British actor Will Sharpe will narrate and Akie Kotabe will play the main character of Ken Morioka. The original idea the story is based on comes from Simon Pitts and will be directed by Jessica Dromgoole. Catherine Bailey Productions will produce.
The story follows Morioka as he travels from 2024 to the 1940s, becoming trapped in his grandfather’s body as a result. According to the press release from the BBC, “Purple Heart Warriors” will travel the globe “from downtown Los Angeles to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, then across Europe, culminating in the Vosges Mountains of France. The story constructs a narrative combining history with modern interpretations of sacrifice, identity and belonging.
From the writer, Yamashita:
“‘I am so excited to be able to tell the story of the Purple Heart Warriors acknowledging the heroics and sacrifices made by Japanese American soldiers who volunteered to fight for the U.S. in Italy and France while their family members were being incarcerated in prison camps. I wanted to convey the reasons they fought and what they were fighting for.’”
Historical Background
The historical narrative focuses on the 442nd Regimental Combat Team — The segregated unit comprised of Niseis, or second-generation Japanese-Americans. The story illustrates the contrast between the soldiers on the field and the domestic hardships their families faced back home, including life in internment camps. The awards the soldiers received only add to imbalance between people’s perception of the groups. The military unit received “4,000 Purple Hearts, 21 Medals of Honor, 7 Presidential Unit Citations, and numerous other accolades.”
Commissioning Editor of BBC World Service, Simon Pitts adds in the press release that the military unit made up of young Japanese-American men, saying the bravery of the remarkable Japanese American young men, and is a story that he’s excited for people to hear for perhaps their first time.