The Crimean War (1853-1856) was crucial to modern European history. Within a few years of its completion, three new nations had emerged from the ashes – Germany, Italy and Romania. In Russia, defeat sowed the seeds of future revolution; in Britain, the mishandling of the war effort led to the fall of the government. Reports from the front line by the world’s first war correspondent, William Howard Russell of The Times, hammered home the appalling arrogance of the aristocratic British officers and sparked a domestic move towards social reform. This three-programme series uses these reports, as well as letters and diaries, to bring the conflict to life. As the first war to be photographed, there is also poignant visual evidence of the harsh reality of the first ‘modern’ war.