Name: Simon Passmore
Position: Producer
Episode: All Episodes

Simon Passmore believes Anthony Horowitz has created a very strong concept for a new TV drama in Foyle's War.

"It's a new hybrid - unlike, say, Poirot, it's as much about the Home Front in 1940 as it is about solving crimes. There are many layers to the stories - among other things Foyle's War is a portrait of a society on the brink of tremendous change. But there's also the pleasure of trying to work out whodunit.

"There's a big range of ages in the characters, from children through to older people, and all of them react differently to the pressures of the war. We've tried to reflect this in the casting, and as well as instantly recognisable names and faces we've cast quite a few up and coming young actors and actresses."

What drew Simon to the project most was its sense of 'integrity'.

"MichaelKitchen plays a detective who has his own values, and refuses to play to the gallery. As Foyle he gives a strong, uncompromising performance. Anthony Horowitz's stories, too, have a moral edge - characters make choices between right and wrong, and suffer the consequences.

"Foyle's War also has its own look. It's not chocolate-box pretty, but nor is it gritty and harsh. There's a warmth to this world, even when things look bleak. The locations, costumes and props are very authentic, and that helps make it a solid and substantial place.

"Between them the four stories in this first series offer a great deal of variety. Although each one centres on a murder, they cover a lot of ground along the way. Fifth columnists, conscientious objectors, Fascist conspirators, evacuees and boffins jostle with vicars, RAF officers, factory workers, ARP wardens and secret policemen.

"Foyle's War takes us to some familiar places - the Dunkirk evacuation, the Battle of Britain - but always seen afresh from its own unique viewpoint. The same goes for a side of the Home Front we haven't seen before - the treatment handed out to a 'conchie', the victimisation of enemy aliens, patriotic Englishmen who can't wait to welcome Hitler. The war and the threat on imminent invasion put pressure on everyone, and some deal with it better than others.

"Foyle himself and other regulars - his son Andrew, Sergeant Milner and Sam his driver - are rays of light in a world that can seem very dark. After all, this was Britain's darkest hour - the moment when we stood alone, expecting every day to be invaded. But you feel that while Foyle and his team are on hand things are going to turn out all right in the end."

Simon's other credits include Imogen's Face, Forgive and Forget and Pretending To Be Judith.

September, 2002; Publicity Release