Skoda's Matt Douglass Took on US Army Role for BBC2's Wartime Farm

Matt Douglass, who works at Westover Skoda in Corfe Mullen, took on a starring role in BBC 2’s Wartime Farm.

With a dedication to re-enactment, Matt has been travelling all over the UK and France for the last three years recreating scenes from the Second World War. Matt is one of a group of around 20 who represent the US Army’s 29th Infantry C Company at show grounds and events, camping under canvas in a World War Two tent. Many other members of the infantry team also live in Bournemouth.

“The filming was great fun and quite an eye-opener,” says Matt. “We were on set at Manor Farm, near Southampton, for a whole day filming our scenes for Wartime Farm and I’ve since spent a second day filming in Bristol for a BBC production called ‘Last Heroes of D-Day’ which is being aired next year. It’s fascinating to see what goes on behind the scenes – we were given instructions as to what we were expected to do and then left to get on with it. We’ve all gained lots of experience in our roles so it wasn’t too hard to slip into character!”

Dan Jenkins, who heads up Westover Skoda’s dealership, adds: “We’ve got a great team here and everyone has their own interests – but I think Matt’s the first to make it onto the small screen. We’re hoping it’s the first of many such filming opportunities and are looking forward to his big screen debut in years to come!”

Matt, who’s always been interested in World War Two, heard about the filming opportunity through his barber at Billy’s Barber Shop Classics in Bournemouth, also a re-enactor. The uniform and equipment Matt uses at events is his own and has been accumulated over the years, costing in the region of £2,000.

The episode in which Matt featured saw the British farmers on the series face the conditions of 1944, when fields were full of troops preparing for D-Day.