“Ian Hislop's war drama is a blast.”
“…a quietly remarkable story, told with respect and, appropriately, irreverence.”
“Andy de Emmony has pulled off a subtly counter-cultural triumph.”
“…an extraordinary true story. Funny, sad, and peculiarly British.”
DIRECTOR
Andy de Emmony
PRODUCER
David Parfitt
WRITERS
Ian Hislop
Nick Newman
CAST
Ben Chaplin
Ben Daniels
Emilia Fox
Steve Oram
Josh O'Connor
Michael Palin
Julian Rhind-Tutt
Hugh Skinner
The Wipers Times tells the true story of how one man turned the horrors of war into black comedy.
When Captain Fred Roberts (Chaplin) discovered a printing press in the ruins of Ypres, Belgium in 1916, he decided to publish a satirical magazine called The Wipers Times – “Wipers” being army slang for Ypres.
Full of gallows humour, The Wipers Times newspaper was poignant, subversive and very funny. Produced literally under enemy fire and defying both authority and gas attacks, the magazine proved a huge success with the troops on the Western Front. It was, above all, a tribute to the resilience of the human spirit in the face of overwhelming adversity. In his spare time Roberts also managed to win the Military Cross for gallantry.
The Wipers Times is a Trademark Films production, funded by BBC, Northern Ireland Screen, Goldcrest Films and Content Media.
