BBC World Service to launch audio drama podcast Purple Heart Warriors
Purple Heart Warriors is a six-part drama from BBC World Service inspired by real events by Oscar-nominated screenwriter Iris Yamashita.
Set in the fields of World War Two as young Japanese American soldiers of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team battle to liberate France from Nazi occupation.
Narrated by Emmy-nominated and BAFTA-winning actor Will Sharpe, the series follows the story of Ken Morioka, played by Akie Kotabe.
Ken is transported back in time from Little Toyko in 2024’s Los Angeles to the 1940s and finds himself trapped in his grandfather’s body as he enrols in combat training.
From downtown Los Angeles to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, then across Europe, culminating in the Vosges Mountains of France, the story mixes history with reflections on identity, sacrifice, and belonging.
The 442nd Regimental Combat Team was a segregated unit made up of second-generation Japanese Americans known as Niseis. Despite some soldiers’ families being seen as the enemy and facing internment in armed camps, the men of the 442nd were known for their bravery, earning over 4,000 Purple Hearts, 21 Medals of Honor, seven Presidential Unit Citations, and numerous other accolades.
Iris Yamashita says: “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.”
Will Sharpe says: “It is an honour to be narrating Purple Heart Warriors, which tells the remarkable stories of the Japanese American soldiers that fought in World War Two. It’s a part of history I am personally interested in, and I loved working with the brilliant Iris Yamashita.”
Simon Pitts, Commissioning Editor, BBC World Service, says: “We’re thrilled to announce Purple Heart Warriors, a six-part World War Two drama series narrated by the Emmy-nominated and BAFTA-winning Will Sharpe, and written by Oscar-nominated Iris Yamashita.
The 100th/442nd Regimental Combat Team, was a segregated unit of remarkable Japanese American young men, whose bravery in combat made them the most decorated unit in US military history for size and duration of service. Their story has not been widely known and it’s exciting to be sharing this series with the world.”
All six episodes will be available as a boxset on BBC Sounds from Monday 9 December. On other podcast platforms, the first three episodes will be available from the same day, with the final three episodes then released weekly. The series will air weekly on BBC World Service radio from Wednesday 11 December.