History buffs won't want to miss the "incredible" period drama based on a beloved book, that some viewers have hailed "better than Band of Brothers". Set during World War 1, the six-part series tells a story rarely seen in the many war dramas and films depicting the period - that of the Australian Army Nursing Service and the nurses serving there.
ANZAC Girls was originally broadcast in 2014, and follows nurses serving at Alexandria, Lemnos and the Western Front during WW1. Pulled from historical documents including contemporary diaries and letters, the series is based on true stories from the period, but also takes inspiration from a beloved book.
Peter Rees wrote the non-fiction text The Other ANZACs in 2008, focusing on the Australian and New Zealand nurses stationed at Gallipoli and the Western Front during the war.
The TV adaptation stars Anna McGahan, Caroline Craig and Georgia Flood, as well as Home and Away star Todd Lasance and Spartacus actor Dustin Clare.
Plenty of reviewers have compared ANZAC Girls to the BBC miniseries The Crimson Field, although one Reddit user recommended it for fans of Band of Brothers. They posted: "Slightly out there but Anzac Girls. Conceptually, it's very similar to [Band of Brothers], but it's Aussie and Kiwi nurses in WW1. For me, it's really nice seeing a female perspective that isn't Testament of Youth. It's a bit shorter (6 episodes an hour long) but it's one of the best things I've watched."
One reviewer said: "Of course this production will be compared to the BBC's The Crimson Field. Having seen both of them, I must say I liked ANZAC Girls better. It somehow felt more real than the BBC's counterpart. This no doubt has to do with the fact that all the nurses portrayed in ANZAC Girls were real women and their stories were true stories."
Someone else commented: "Anzac Girls is pretty much Australia's version of a TV show about WW1 nurses. It is also based around a number of actual people from Australian nursing history, rather than outright fictional drama. Well worth a watch."
