Churchill's Bodyguard (2005)

Overview

Walter H. Thompson appears at Winston Churchill's side in nearly every wartime newsreel - tall, gaunt, and always hawk-eyed. As the great man's personal bodyguard for nearly 18 years, Thompson saw history unfold firsthand. At times, his vigilance and quick thinking helped shape it. Based on the complete, uncensored manuscript of Thompson's memoirs - uncovered only after his death - this 13-part documentary gives you a behind-the-scenes look at Churchill's life and leadership. Thompson shadows his boss everywhere, from Cairo to the Kremlin and from Yalta to the White House. With his eye for character-revealing detail, he takes the measure of Lawrence of Arabia, Adolf Hitler, Franklin Roosevelt, and Joseph Stalin - not only as leaders, but also as men. And he vividly recounts attempts on Churchill's life by Nazi commandos, IRA terrorists, and other would-be assassins, some never before disclosed. Using archival newsreel footage, historically precise re-enactments, and Thompson's own words, Churchill's Bodyguard puts you inside the skin of a working-class Scotland Yard detective who experienced the 20th Century's great events as both witness and participant.

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Network: Sky History