Nat Geo, TF1 order D-Day special

National Geographic Channel has ordered D-Day Sacrifice, a two-hour special that will go out on its US and international channels to coincide with the seventieth anniversary of the historic beach landings.

The commission for the special came jointly from Nat Geo and commercial broadcaster TF1, which will air it in France.

Paris-based French producer Clarke Costelle & Co. (CC&C) is making the special for the broadcasters.

D-Day Sacrifice will go out on June 4 on Nat Geo in the US before rolling out across the international Nat Geo channels in 171 countries and in 45 languges.

The special will look at events months ahead of the Normandy landings and track what then happened as the Allied forces went into action.

Nat Geo said the story will be told through the voices of the civilians, soldiers and leaders involved using interviews and remastered archive footage.

It added that “newly colorized archival video” will allow viewers to “witness the liberation of Europe as it was experienced by the exhausted survivors 70 years ago”.