The Rosie the Reviewer Podcast

Back to all episodes

Ep 74 – Their Finest – Wartime Propaganda with The Donut Dollies

Share

Description

In this episode of Rosie the Reviewer, we’re joined by Winnie and Gabby from the Donut Dollies podcast to discuss Their Finest (2016), Lone Scherfig’s adaptation of Lissa Evans’ novel Their Finest Hour and a Half. Together we unpack the film’s blend of romance, tragedy, and wartime propaganda, as well as how it compares to the book. Surprisingly much debate about Sam Claflin’s casting, the power of women in the Ministry of Information, and why Bill Nighy steals every scene as Ambrose Hilliard. Plus, the real history of women in Britain’s propaganda machine.

Their Finest trailer

Meet the Donut Dolies podcast

Winnie and Gabby from the Donut Dollies podcast joined us for our first ever crossover with other podcasters. Their podcast focusses on telling the stories of the women of WWII.

You can follow them on Spotify, Apple, or whenever you get your podcasts. Or, check out some of their favourite episodes below:







Book Recs by the Dollies

Damn Lucky by Kevin Maurer – the story of John “Lucky” Luckadoo of the 100th Bomb Group.

American Flygirl by Susan Tate Ankeny  – biography of WASP pilot Hazel Ying Lee.

Spitfires by Becky Aikman – the story of American women who flew with the ATA.

 

(These links are afilliate links. If you purchase through these links, we will get a small percentage and you help us cover Rosie’s hosting costs. Thank you) 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

subscribe to our podcast

Apple PodcastsCastBoxPocketCastsSpotifyRSSAmazon MusicYouTube

More episodes

Ep 65 – Ballad of a Soldier – The Sweetest Russian War Movie You’ve Never Seen

In this episode of Rosie the Reviewer, we discuss the beautiful Ballad of a Soldier (1959), a Soviet-era WWII film that might just be the gentlest war movie we’ve ever seen. The film follows a young soldier named Alyosha as he travels across Russia to visit his mother on furlough. Along the way, he meets the love of his life. Not a very outspoken war movie, but a gentle story with sincere performances from main cast and supporting actors.

Go to episode »

Ep 54 – Bobby Schofield on Playing Dave Kershaw in SAS Rogue Heroes, Being a History Nerd & WWII Acting

In this episode of Rosie the Reviewer, actor Bobby Schofield joins us and SAS Rogue Heroes Correspondent George to talk about his role as Corporal Dave Kershaw in SAS Rogue Heroes (available on BBC iPlayer, MGM+, and Max). We explore his journey from lifelong WWII history nerd to series regular, including the deep research and sleuthing that shaped his portrayal. Bobby shares stories of on-set camaraderie, unscripted lines like “No pasarán!”, and the emotional weight of playing a real WWII figure. We also discuss hopes for Season 3, listen to Bobby nerd out about Band of Brothers and grill him about life on set.

Go to episode »

Episode: Jojo Rabbit

This week, we discuss Taika Waititi’s satirical film, Jojo Rabbit (2019) and once again question what makes good satire. This story is based on Christine Leunens’s 2008 book Caging Skies that Sam had the difficult task of reading. Pallet cleanser after that one, Sam?

Go to episode »