Home Fires Series Two   Starring: Samantha Bond, Francesca Annis, Ed Stoppard and Claire Rushbrook Distributor: ITV Studios Global Entertainment RRP: £19.99 Certificate: 12 Release Date: 09 May 2016

Home Fires: Series Two (2016, 6 eps, approx 45 min) continues the successful ITV show set during World War Two. The season was directed by Robert Quinn and John Hayes, all but one episode was written by Simon Block. Glen Laker scripted the second episode.

The season carries on directly from season one with episode one opening up in 11th June 1940. The main cast consists of Samantha Bond, Ed Stoppard, Claire Rushbrook and the delightful Francesca Annis. Here various people in the village are getting involved in the war in differing guises as well as chumming up to overseas allies.

In truth, apart for those moments which require WW2 to be in progress (the odd dead husband, some foreign soldiers and the occasional air raid) the rest is pretty much straight forward soap drama territory.

Not that that is by necessity a bad thing. The show is well acted and the sets and costumes convincing. The series was cancelled following the end of series two.

The release is presented on a two disc DVD set with no extras.

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Charles Packer