The Battle for Malta wins over viewers

The Battle for Malta BBC documentary was praised by critics and social media users following its Monday night primetime premiere on British TV.

Presented by author and historian James Holland, the programme was watched by 2.13 million viewers when it was aired at 8.30pm on BBC2.

It can still be watched on BBC iPlayer in the UK.

The Telegraph described it as a “fascinating documentary on how the tiny Mediterranean island stood firm against an Axis siege that cut off crucial supplies, such as food, and saw more bombs dropped than fell on London”.

The Daily Mail wrote that Mr Holland changed the perception of the Maltese as “helpless victims” in “one of the most brutal” episodes of World War II. “Malta’s fightback has been underplayed,” it wrote.

Twitter users gave the documentary an almost unanimous seal of approval.

“Epic documentary on BBC right now,” wrote @simonmizzi. Lifestyle brand@GETmalta tweeted that The Battle for Malta was “both informative and depicts this beautiful island perfectly”. Lots of users tweeted praise direct to Mr Holland’s Twitter account @James1940. “Congrats to @James1940 on a cracking documentary about the battle for Malta last night on BBC2,” @edsmithwriter commented.

A user called @Hannahwtglasses tweeted that the programme “has made me feel quite emotional”.

She later added that her grandparents were a doctor and nurse who met and married in Malta during the war and the programme “brought back many memories of the stories” her grandmother told her.

The documentary was an eye-opener for other Twitter users.

“Really enjoyed it and had no idea how Malta suffered in WWII,” tweeted @OrthoMatt.

But @andrewagius thought Mr Holland “decided to ignore and disregard the thousands of Maltese who also fought in the siege of Malta”.

Over on Facebook, a user signing as Tambourine Tracey was touched by the documentary.

“After watching The Battle for Malta on BBC2 I feel even more proud of my Maltese heritage. So shocking that my mum had to endure such suffering as a child. The Maltese people’s faith, courage and stoicism saved Malta. I love you, Mum xxx,” she wrote.