Sky History’s Last Burma Star shines light on Far East during Second World War

Alex Bescoby (left) and Major Levison Wood in The Last Burma Star

Sky History in the UK is marking the 80th anniversary of Victory over Japan Day, August 15, with a line-up of new commissions focusing on the last chapter of the Second World War and the Allied troops who served in the Far East.

The Last Burma Star, airing this November, pays tribute to the last surviving veterans of the Burma Campaign, and particularly those from Burma (now Myanmar) who fought alongside British and Commonwealth forces in the region.

The one-off documentary special follows Major Levison Wood (whose grandfather fought in the Fast East campaign) and historian Alex Bescoby as they go in search of the last surviving veterans of the war in the East.

Levison and Bescoby travel to India and the border with Myanmar on a very specific mission searching for one of the last surviving veterans of the campaign from Burma (now 100-years-old), who has never received proper recognition of his service, and to whom they now want to deliver his campaign medal, the Burma Star.

The show is coproduced by Maya Vision International, Grammar Productions, and Blackmane Media, and supported by official legacy partner the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. In addition to the UK, the documentary will become available across all Hearst Networks’ EMEA territories.

As part of the broader VJ Day programming this Friday, Sky History will also feature a curated selection of documentaries reflecting on the Pacific War.

Cracking the Code explores wartime cryptography during WWII, highlighting the Allied efforts to break Japan’s codes and how this shaped key moments of conflict in the Pacific Theatre.

Battle 360 chronicles the heroic story of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise and its crew, using veteran testimonies and CGI to bring pivotal naval battles to life.

The Sound & The Fury offers a sweeping overview of WWII from 1939 to 1945, examining major campaigns across Europe, Asia and Africa and the complex global dynamics of the war.