War stories usually have a clear rhythm. You have the "good guys" in the mud, the "bad guys" in the shadows, and a triumphant swell of music when the liberators finally roll into town. But the Enemy at the Door TV series isn't interested in that. Honestly, it’s one of the most claustrophobic, morally gray pieces of television ever produced by the BBC, and it’s kinda shocking how many people have forgotten it exists.
Produced between 1978 and 1980, the show takes place on the island of Guernsey during the German occupation of the Channel Islands in World War II. This wasn't some remote battlefield in Russia or a desert in North Africa. This was British soil. The Nazis were literally living in the same houses, drinking in the same pubs, and policing the same streets as British citizens.
It’s awkward. It’s tense. And it’s brilliant.
What the Enemy at the Door TV series got right about the occupation
Most war dramas want to be about the Resistance. They want to show people blowing up trains and stealing secret codes. While there is a bit of that here, the Enemy at the Door TV series focuses on the "ordinary." It’s about the bailiff of the island, Dr. Philip Martel (played with a weary, stoic brilliance by Bernard Horsfall), trying to protect his people while technically being forced to cooperate with the German Commandant.
Think about that for a second.
You’re a British official, but you have to sit across a desk from a German Major and discuss how much grain the villagers get to keep before they starve. If you push too hard, people get shot. If you don’t push enough, you’re a collaborator. It’s a lose-lose situation that lasts for 26 episodes.
The show doesn’t treat the Germans as two-dimensional monsters, which was a pretty gutsy move for the late 70s. Major Dieter Richter, played by Alfred Burke, is a professional soldier who hates the SS as much as the locals do. He’s civil. He’s cultured. And that makes him ten times more terrifying because you start to forget he’s the enemy until he has to enforce a brutal decree.
The brutal reality of life under the swastika
The Channel Islands were the only part of the British Isles to be occupied. That’s a historical fact that often gets buried in the larger narrative of the Blitz or D-Day. When you watch the Enemy at the Door TV series, you feel that isolation. The islands were cut off. No mail. No news from London. Just the sound of German boots on cobblestones.
📖 Related: Emily Piggford Movies and TV Shows: Why You Recognize That Face
The writers—including James Andrew Hall and Kenneth Clark—didn't shy away from the nastier side of human nature. They showed the "Jerrybags," the local women who slept with German soldiers for food or protection. They showed the black marketeers who got rich while their neighbors withered away.
It’s not a comfortable watch.
Why this show feels different from modern war dramas
Today, everything is high-definition and filled with CGI explosions. Enemy at the Door has none of that. It’s mostly people talking in dimly lit rooms. But the dialogue? It’s sharp enough to cut glass.
One of the standout elements is the portrayal of the SS. While Major Richter represents the "Old Guard" of the German military, the arrival of SS-Hauptsturmführer Reinicke (played by Simon Cadell) shifts the tone into something much darker. Reinicke is the true believer—the fanatic. The friction between the regular German army and the SS provides a layer of political intrigue that most shows skip over.
The cast that made it work
You’ve got a young Anthony Head (of Buffy and Ted Lasso fame) popping up. You’ve got cameos and recurring roles from British acting royalty like John Nettles. But the show belongs to Bernard Horsfall and Alfred Burke.
Their relationship is the spine of the series. It’s a bizarre, forced friendship built on mutual respect and mutual loathing. They are two men trying to maintain order in a world that has gone completely insane.
Horsfall’s Martel is the embodiment of the "stiff upper lip," but you can see the cracks. You see the toll it takes on his family. His daughter, Clare, is constantly at odds with the reality of their situation. The tension isn't just between the British and the Germans; it's between the British who want to fight and the British who want to survive.
👉 See also: Elaine Cassidy Movies and TV Shows: Why This Irish Icon Is Still Everywhere
Historical accuracy versus television drama
Is it 100% accurate? Look, it’s a drama. But it draws heavily from the real experiences of those on Guernsey and Jersey.
The real-life Bailiff of Jersey, Alexander Coutanche, and the Bailiff of Guernsey, Victor Carey, faced the exact same dilemmas we see Martel face. They had to sign proclamations that they hated. They had to manage the deportation of islanders with English roots to camps in Germany.
The Enemy at the Door TV series captures the psychological weight of those decisions. It asks the viewer: "What would you do?" Would you steal a radio to hear the BBC, knowing your entire family could be sent to a concentration camp if you’re caught? Would you share a cigarette with a German soldier who seems like a decent guy?
The legacy of the show and where to find it
For a long time, this show was basically impossible to find. It wasn't exactly the kind of thing the BBC played on repeat during the holidays. It was too grim. Too "gray."
However, thanks to DVD releases and some streaming niche platforms (and the occasional deep dive on YouTube), it has found a new audience. People who are tired of the sanitized version of WWII are gravitating toward it.
The show also paved the way for later explorations of the occupation, like the 2017 film The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. But while that movie is a bit of a romance/drama, Enemy at the Door is a psychological thriller. It’s about the slow erosion of the soul.
The score and the atmosphere
We have to talk about the theme music by Wilfred Josephs. It’s haunting. It’s not a "war march." It’s a somber, repetitive melody that feels like a trap. It perfectly sets the stage for every episode.
✨ Don't miss: Ebonie Smith Movies and TV Shows: The Child Star Who Actually Made It Out Okay
The production design, despite the limited budget of 70s television, is incredibly effective. They used actual locations in Guernsey, which adds an unmistakable layer of authenticity. When you see the massive concrete bunkers—the "Atlantic Wall" fortifications—those aren't sets. Those are the real deal, still standing today as scars on the landscape.
Why you should watch it in 2026
We live in a world that loves "us vs. them" narratives. The Enemy at the Door TV series reminds us that life is rarely that simple. It’s a show about compromise. It’s about the small, quiet acts of defiance that don't make it into history books but keep a person's dignity alive.
It's also a masterclass in pacing. In an era of binge-watching where every episode ends on a cliffhanger, this show takes its time. It lets the silence hang. It lets you sit with the discomfort of a character’s choice for minutes at a time.
If you’re a history buff, it’s essential. If you like character-driven drama, it’s a goldmine.
Basically, it's one of those rare shows that stays with you long after the credits roll. You’ll find yourself thinking about Dr. Martel’s face when he has to shake a Nazi's hand. You’ll think about the islanders watching the German planes fly overhead, knowing that help is years away.
Actionable steps for fans of historical drama
If you're looking to dive deeper into the world of the Enemy at the Door TV series and the history of the Channel Islands occupation, here is how to get the most out of it:
- Track down the full series: Don't settle for clips. The slow-burn narrative only works if you watch the episodes in order. Look for the Network DVD releases or check specialized British streaming services like BritBox.
- Read "The Model Occupation" by Madeleine Bunting: This is widely considered the definitive book on the occupation of the Channel Islands. It covers the same moral complexities the show explores but with the cold, hard facts of historical research.
- Visit the Channel Islands: If you’re ever in the UK, take the ferry or a short flight to Guernsey. Visit the German Underground Hospital and the Occupation Museum. Seeing the physical scale of the fortifications makes the show feel much more immediate.
- Compare with "Island at War": This was a 2004 attempt to revisit the same subject matter. It’s interesting to see how the storytelling changed over thirty years, though many purists still prefer the grit of the original 1970s series.
- Watch for the "Quiet Resistance": When viewing the show, pay attention to the background details—the way the locals look at the soldiers, the subtle ways they delay orders. It’s a lesson in subtext that modern writers often miss.
The Enemy at the Door TV series remains a landmark of British television precisely because it refused to give easy answers to impossible questions. It’s a bleak, honest, and ultimately human look at what happens when the enemy isn't just at the door, but has already walked inside and sat down at your table.