Ian Hislop and Nick Newman’s The Wipers Times tells the true and extraordinary story of the satirical newspaper created in the mud and mayhem of the Somme. Read more …
In a bombed out building during the First World War in the Belgian town of Ypres (mis-pronounced Wipers by British soldiers), two officers discover a printing press and create a newspaper for the troops. Far from being a sombre journal about life in the trenches, they produced a resolutely cheerful, subversive and very funny newspaper designed to lift the spirits of the men on the front line.
Defying enemy bombardment, gas attacks and the disapproval of many of the top Brass, The Wipers Times rolled off the press for two years and was an extraordinary tribute to the resilience of the human spirit in the face of overwhelming adversity.
A judicious edit on the running time wouldn’t have gone amiss. We may be going through the mud together, but to what end and for what purpose is never made clear.
The Wipers Times itself may only have been flimsy newsprint, but it meant so much more to the morale of the troops in the trenches, and the fact that this almost lost piece of WW1 history is being seen by audiences the length and breadth of the country is a fitting tribute to the men involved.
The Wipers Times becomes a form of survival, as well as a subversive underground publications that is rightly honoured here.
Caroline Leslie’s deft and good-hearted production.
The cast perform their roles solidly, but the tone is familiar, a celebration of the honest soldier against the out of touch leadership that rejects sensational violence or pathos.
Ian Hislop on his First World War drama, The Wipers Times
Ian Hislop and Nick Newman--The Wipers Times
Theatre Royal, Glasgow from Tuesday November 7, 2017, until Saturday November 11, 2017. More info: www.theambassadors.com/theatreroyalglasgow/
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