Far from the comical scenes of the Blackadder series which made him famous, Sir Tony Robinson was at New Zealand's largest memorial yesterday to collect true stories of war. Popular for his role of Blackadder's hapless sidekick Baldrick, Sir Tony is filming a History Channel series Tour Of Duty, based on 100 years of service of those who fought for their countries, from World War I to now.
Part of each episode includes a community event, inviting locals to share their family's stories of wartime, display memorabilia and talk about what going to war means to them in the 21st century.
Auckland had its day yesterday with Robinson, 67, outside the front of the Auckland Museum.
He said New Zealand's stories were moving for the sheer scale of sacrifice.
"Probably the most obvious thing is New Zealand per captia sent more men to World War I than anywhere else in the world, 18,000 men died, which is huge. That's a story that can't be told too often. It's a story that has been forgotten, certainly in the Northern Hemisphere."
