The War Detectives
The War Detectives
The War Detectives
Synopsis
Synopsis
Synopsis
Scroll to Discover
September 2025
The remains of two Scottish World War 1 soldiers have been missing for over 100 years. This documentary gains full behind the scenes access to “The War Detectives”. A group of expert historians who specialise in identifying and tracing the bloodline of deceased World War 1 Soldiers.
After more than 100 years, Lance Corporal Godon McPherson and Lieutenant James Allan are finally laid to rest in the presence of their family.
This documentary was a collaboration with the BBC Scotland and News on iPlayer team.
The remains of two Scottish World War 1 soldiers have been missing for over 100 years. This documentary gains full behind the scenes access to “The War Detectives”. A group of expert historians who specialise in identifying and tracing the bloodline of deceased World War 1 Soldiers.
After more than 100 years, Lance Corporal Godon McPherson and Lieutenant James Allan are finally laid to rest in the presence of their family.
This documentary was a collaboration with the BBC Scotland and News on iPlayer team.
The remains of two Scottish World War 1 soldiers have been missing for over 100 years. This documentary gains full behind the scenes access to “The War Detectives”. A group of expert historians who specialise in identifying and tracing the bloodline of deceased World War 1 Soldiers.
After more than 100 years, Lance Corporal Godon McPherson and Lieutenant James Allan are finally laid to rest in the presence of their family.
This documentary was a collaboration with the BBC Scotland and News on iPlayer team.
Scroll to Discover
[001]
Titles
Using the real handwritten letters from Lance Corporal Gordon McPherson and Lieutenant James Allen directly from the trenches and animating their handwriting was a method to introduce the audience to these two lost soldiers and bring them back to life.
Throughout the programme, their handwritten letters and images of them in uniform was used throughout the programme to establish a personal relationship with them and the audience.
The Titles was a elegant way to establish this motif and their relationship to the audience.
[001]
Titles
Using the real handwritten letters from Lance Corporal Gordon McPherson and Lieutenant James Allen directly from the trenches and animating their handwriting was a method to introduce the audience to these two lost soldiers and bring them back to life.
Throughout the programme, their handwritten letters and images of them in uniform was used throughout the programme to establish a personal relationship with them and the audience.
The Titles was a elegant way to establish this motif and their relationship to the audience.
[001]
Titles
Using the real handwritten letters from Lance Corporal Gordon McPherson and Lieutenant James Allen directly from the trenches and animating their handwriting was a method to introduce the audience to these two lost soldiers and bring them back to life.
Throughout the programme, their handwritten letters and images of them in uniform was used throughout the programme to establish a personal relationship with them and the audience.
The Titles was a elegant way to establish this motif and their relationship to the audience.
[002]
Lieutenant James Allen's Letter Reading
Lieutenant James Allen’s Great Nephew, Christopher Allen Reading a letter from James 6 weeks before James’ death at The Battle of Loos.
To enhance the letter reading and build a emotional connection with the audience, I created a graphical visual of the real letter and animated James’ hand writing with Christoper’s reading.
[002]
Lieutenant James Allen's Letter Reading
Lieutenant James Allen’s Great Nephew, Christopher Allen Reading a letter from James 6 weeks before James’ death at The Battle of Loos.
To enhance the letter reading and build a emotional connection with the audience, I created a graphical visual of the real letter and animated James’ hand writing with Christoper’s reading.
[002]
Lieutenant James Allen's Letter Reading
Lieutenant James Allen’s Great Nephew, Christopher Allen Reading a letter from James 6 weeks before James’ death at The Battle of Loos.
To enhance the letter reading and build a emotional connection with the audience, I created a graphical visual of the real letter and animated James’ hand writing with Christoper’s reading.
[003]
Lance Corporal Gordon McPherson’s Letter Reading
During the Programme, Alister McPherson the Great Nephew of Lance Corporal Gordon McPherson reads a letter from one of Gordon’s squadmates shortly after Godon’s death.
This is a incredible emotional scene in the documentary, so bringing the letter reading to life with a graphic visual was important to emphasise the emotions these soldiers felt after losing a friend and squadmate.
[003]
Lance Corporal Gordon McPherson’s Letter Reading
During the Programme, Alister McPherson the Great Nephew of Lance Corporal Gordon McPherson reads a letter from one of Gordon’s squadmates shortly after Godon’s death.
This is a incredible emotional scene in the documentary, so bringing the letter reading to life with a graphic visual was important to emphasise the emotions these soldiers felt after losing a friend and squadmate.
[003]
Lance Corporal Gordon McPherson’s Letter Reading
During the Programme, Alister McPherson the Great Nephew of Lance Corporal Gordon McPherson reads a letter from one of Gordon’s squadmates shortly after Godon’s death.
This is a incredible emotional scene in the documentary, so bringing the letter reading to life with a graphic visual was important to emphasise the emotions these soldiers felt after losing a friend and squadmate.
[004]
Cross Platform Promo
A simple trail using both the images of Lance Corporal Gordon McPherson and Lieutenant James Allen with the same reveal and title animation used in the programme to tie everything together.
This promo was used across BBC platforms and was also used for the 6 O’clock news in Scotland.
[004]
Cross Platform Promo
A simple trail using both the images of Lance Corporal Gordon McPherson and Lieutenant James Allen with the same reveal and title animation used in the programme to tie everything together.
This promo was used across BBC platforms and was also used for the 6 O’clock news in Scotland.
[004]
Cross Platform Promo
A simple trail using both the images of Lance Corporal Gordon McPherson and Lieutenant James Allen with the same reveal and title animation used in the programme to tie everything together.
This promo was used across BBC platforms and was also used for the 6 O’clock news in Scotland.
[005]
iPlayer Thumbnail
It was clear we were going to use Lance Corporal Godon McPherson and Lieutenant James Allen’s service portraits for our hero image in the thumbnail.
Major re-touching and restoration treatment had to be applied to the service portraits due to images wear over the years.
A map of Loos from around the time of the Battle of Loos was also used as a backing, as this was where the soldiers sadly lost their lives fighting for their country.
After experimenting with different compositions and motifs, I decided to have a clear cut off for the letter used in the background. After experimenting using the letter as a texture, I decided it felt too messy and would only clutter the thumbnail when being viewed from the iPlayer rail.
[005]
iPlayer Thumbnail
It was clear we were going to use Lance Corporal Godon McPherson and Lieutenant James Allen’s service portraits for our hero image in the thumbnail.
Major re-touching and restoration treatment had to be applied to the service portraits due to images wear over the years.
A map of Loos from around the time of the Battle of Loos was also used as a backing, as this was where the soldiers sadly lost their lives fighting for their country.
After experimenting with different compositions and motifs, I decided to have a clear cut off for the letter used in the background. After experimenting using the letter as a texture, I decided it felt too messy and would only clutter the thumbnail when being viewed from the iPlayer rail.
[005]
iPlayer Thumbnail
It was clear we were going to use Lance Corporal Godon McPherson and Lieutenant James Allen’s service portraits for our hero image in the thumbnail.
Major re-touching and restoration treatment had to be applied to the service portraits due to images wear over the years.
A map of Loos from around the time of the Battle of Loos was also used as a backing, as this was where the soldiers sadly lost their lives fighting for their country.
After experimenting with different compositions and motifs, I decided to have a clear cut off for the letter used in the background. After experimenting using the letter as a texture, I decided it felt too messy and would only clutter the thumbnail when being viewed from the iPlayer rail.
[006]
iPlayer Thumbnail Experimentations
[006]
iPlayer Thumbnail Experimentations
[006]
iPlayer Thumbnail Experimentations
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