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Jonathan Dimbleby: My Father and Belsen

Broadcaster Jonathan Dimbleby reflects on his father Richard's reporting on the liberation of the Belsen concentration camp.

It was in 1945 when the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½â€™s first war correspondent, Richard Dimbleby, found himself with British troops in Germany and witnessed the discovery of the notorious Nazi death camp Belsen.

His now-famous radio reports first told the world of the crimes against humanity that had been uncovered – reports that changed our understanding of the Second World War and the nature of the enemy the Allies had been fighting.

In the following years, Richard returned to the site of Belsen twice – first in 1959 and then again in 1965 to mark the anniversary of the war’s end. Both visits were filmed for ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ programmes, and here Richard’s son Jonathan – a writer and broadcaster himself – tells the story of Richard’s return trips, explaining why they were significant for him and the impact Belsen had on him and the rest of his career.

Release date:

19 minutes

On TV

Monday 22:00

Credits

Role Contributor
Interviewed Guest Jonathan Dimbleby
Series Producer Simon Goretzki

Broadcast