BBC turns to World War II for latest VR experience

The BBC’s VR Hub for virtual reality experiences has launched a new interactive VR experience based on World War II bombing raids on Berlin.

BBC Northern Ireland teamed up with VR production outfit Immersive VR to stage 1943: Berlin Blitz, based on BBC sound archive recorded during war on a Lancaster bomber raid over Berlin. Viewers can share the cockpit with the crew and team of war reporter Wynford Vaughan-Thomas and sound recordist Reg Pidsley as they document their flight on a mission over Berlin.

Thew BBC VR Hub has so far produced four projects. Both 1943: Berlin Blitz and Make Noise – a voice-activated experience celebrating the suffragette movement – will officially premiere at this year’s Venice Film Festival.

Another project, Damming the Nile, accompanying BBC News Africa correspondent Alastair Leithead as he investigates the impact of a huge new dam, has been nominated for a Rose d’Or. Last week, the BBC also announced its Virtual Reality Prom: Nothing to be Written.

The Berlin Blitz experience was demonstrated at the RAF Fairfor Air Tattoo last month, staging an event in a tent at the show with four HTC VR headsets.

The BBC said it had a number of other projects in production that will be released over the coming year as it seeks to test the public appetite for VR.