What happened in World on Fire season 1?

The World War Two drama is returning after a long gap between seasons – but just what happened in season 1?

By James Hibbs

Published: Wednesday, 12 July 2023 at 12:00 am

The BBC’s Second World War drama World on Fire is returning for its second season, but you’d be forgiven for not remembering the exact details of what happened in season 1.

The show’s first instalment aired back in 2019, and with the show featuring a sprawling cast set across the globe in England, Poland, Germany and France it might be difficult to recall exactly what happened to the major characters such as Harry and Kasia.

Well, never fear – we’ve got you covered. If you want to remember all the key plot points you’ll need to know ahead of season 2, we’ve mapped them out for you below.

Read on for everything you need to know about what happened in World on Fire season 1.

What happened to Harry, Kasia and Lois in World on Fire season 1?

"Jonah
Jonah Hauer-King and Julia Brown in World on Fire season 1.
Mammoth Screen/BBC

The primary storyline which fans of the show need to remember from season 1, heading into season 2, revolves around Jonah Hauer-King’s Harry, Zofia Wichłacz’s Kasia and Julia Brown’s Lois.

At the start of season 1 Harry is working as a translator in Warsaw, Poland, and has fallen in love with a local Polish woman, Kasia. This is in spite of his having a sweetheart back home, Lois.

With the Germans attacking Warsaw, Harry and Kasia decide to get married, as this would mean she would be able to leave the country with him and travel to England. However, at the last moment, Kasia puts her younger brother Jan on the train with Harry instead, making sure he is safe. She stays in Warsaw.

Back home, Harry struggles to confess his new relationship to Lois, particularly after she declares her love for him. Meanwhile, his mother Robina starts looking after Jan.

Harry is dismissed from the diplomatic services for his conduct in Warsaw and enlists in the army, joining fellow soldiers such as Stan and Joe. He also finally tells Lois the truth and she is heartbroken.

Some time later, when Lois is working as a singer with the Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA), Harry discovers that she is pregnant with his child. Meanwhile, Kasia becomes entrenched within the resistance in Poland, and is hardened by the things she sees and has to do.

While performing with ENSA, Lois meets a Wing Commander, Vernon, who becomes smitten with her. She later has her baby and accepts a proposal of marriage from Vernon.

Meanwhile Harry, now with the Special Operations Executive, is sent on a mission to intercept a resistance group in Poland who are being targeted by the Nazis – Kasia’s group. He parachutes into the country and reunites with her, before managing to get her to safety. The rest of the resistance group is captured.

What happened to the other characters in World on Fire season 1?

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Parker Sawyers as Albert in World on Fire season 2.
BBC/Mammoth Screen

Other major characters featured in season 1 included:

Nancy Campbell (Helen Hunt) – Nancy was an American journalist and broadcaster working in Berlin. She tried to reveal the truth about Aktion T4, a campaign of involuntary euthanasia run by the Nazis. However, she came up against censorship, and also struggled to protect her neighbours, whose daughter suffered from epilepsy. She will not be returning for season 2.

Douglas (Sean Bean) and Tom Bennett (Ewan Mitchell) – Douglas was a bus conductor and the father of Lois and Tom. He was a pacifist, having become shell-shocked following the First World War. He will not be returning for season 1, and it has been revealed that Douglas died in between seasons 1 and 2. Meanwhile Tom, Lois’s brother, reveals he is a conscientious objector, before enlisting in the Navy in order to avoid prison. He is captured by the Nazis on the beaches of Dunkirk, but is eventually smuggled out of the American hospital in France by Henriette and Webster. He will be seen back in season 2.

Webster O’Connor (Brian J Smith), Albert Fallou (Parker Sawyers) and Henriette Guilbert (Eugénie Derouand) – Webster was Nancy’s nephew and a doctor working at the American hospital in France. He is gay and in a relationship with French jazz musician Albert. Webster, along with Jewish nurse Henriette, starts a system of smuggling patients out of the hospital and to freedom, and attempts to take Albert to freedom. However, Albert is arrested and sent to a forced labour camp. Albert and Henriette will both be back in season 2, but Webster will not.