Category Archives: Short Stories

The Nazis have taken over the BBC

©️GeraldineBanks2025

A fictional story about what might have happened to our well respected British Broadcasting Corporation if it had gotten into the wrong hands.Any similarities to events or persons is completely coincidental as the author has used her imagination to envisage the outcomes of her characters actions.

Max sat back in his favourite leather chair in the smoking room of his Club.They called it a smoking room, but no one smoked anymore,the last one Max remembered was an old soak who used to drink like a fish  smoked imported cigars from overseas,at least three a day and ended up dying painfully of cancer of the spleen, at a famous  London Teaching Hospital, apparently he exploded on the operating table,made a hell of a mess.The surgeon in charge (who was also a Club member) had said that the operating theatre was closed for weeks and any staff present were having weekly  tests for pathogens they may have been exposed to.

The talk in the Club had cured everyone of smoking and most drank moderately.Max smiled at the thought of the exploding cadaver, and then his thoughts turned to Marlena his wife. He smiled again, She was at home as usual, their two children, dutifully with their mother and studying hard for their up and coming exams.

The children would grow up wanting to be like him, not their mother. Still ,she was a good wife and he had no plans to divorce her and his days of chasing skirts or trousers depending on his mood were over.

He was close,so close to achieving his dream. The secret meeting he had had with his comrades the evening before had confirmed how much progress had been made. Operation Infectious Spider Bite was coming to a conclusion after twenty years.The poison was pulsing through the veins of Society and there was no known. anti-dote

Society was a rabid monster, and anyone who tried to control it would very soon find themselves dealing with those who had been disenfranchised and left without any hope of prosperity or a future.

And how indeed  had it all happened and why was Max such a key figure.No one had at first taken him seriously, he was just a kid rooting around in the archives of The BBC.

It was when he started bringing old footage which he had stolen and suggesting  it’s impact on the outcome of the War, that someone , he wasn’t sure who had “recruited” him and a whole new World opened up to him.

The meetings were always secretly held and no one knew any of the other attendees.They did however all speak traditional German,the only permitted language. It was known as “Higher or Pure German.” It was a matter of honour to not make any mistakes or address anyone incorrectly.It was a discipline Max appreciated.

His role had grown in importance over the years as it became obvious that Propaganda was a key resource and that Britain needed to be broken.

Max was in the perfect position to help with that.No one was in a rush, the process would take a long time , each step was a step forward.The BBC was a prize for the taking and would ensure there would be no repeat of the debacle of World War Two, indeed no ridiculous Lord Haw Haw, who everyone laughed at and no one believed.

The people would take everything seriously .The population in their desperation  would be unable to laugh at anything anymore ,  themselves or ridiculous events and it could all be done by “programming” which Max was very good at.

Now that the end was so near, Max.looked back at what he had done and he was very pleased with himself

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The Nazis have taken over The BBC

(cont)

©GeraldineBanksAug2025

And so at the tender age of 57 Maximillian Schmidtt-Bramoff , known as Max Longbottom was the Governer of the BBC. He had been a rising star in his early 20’s having joined the BBC from University and having worked with some of the big stars of the day producing first rate documentaries and also music and comedy programmes. He learned his craft quickly and he quickly built up a reputation as the up and coming producer who everyone wanted to work with.y

During that period , his mother and father rarely saw him, in his spare time he would be in the BBC archives , examining all sorts of footage ,mainly from the Second World War.

When Max’s parents were killed in a  head on car crash on holiday in Devon,it took the Police some time to locate their only next of kin, Max , unknown to anyone(as he should have been on holiday with his parents  ) he was indeed in the vast archives of the old broadcasting house delving through all the old records and destroying any footage that depicted the ” spirit” that somehow had won through and led to the VE day celebrations which were well documented.

Max couldn’t rewrite history, but he could edit it. Eventually when he climbed up the career ladder of  BBC Corporate, he argued at meetings for a clear out of the archives, that there was no room to store all of this stuff and to digitize it would be expensive and take too long.

Slowly and steadily he had won his battle and now much of what he saw as his destiny had been put in place. Those liberal communists wouldn’t know what had  hit them when the time came .Yes he played along with them, they saw him as Mad Max, they didn’t see the cold calculating Max whose only objective was to establish a global fourth Reich. Max had effectively dismantled the BBC, indeed he had used Public Money to do so, the people had paid their license money into Max’s  propaganda fund.

Did he use their ingrained fears and prejudices or had he imposed his and his comrades, he was no longer sure but the plan was working.

Max was having a small dinner tonight at his Club.It was an anniversary, ten years since he had persuaded Parliament that the BBC was no longer fit for purpose and needed to move forward. Max had been vague about what forward meant, but he was well thought of and fascism never entered anyone’s head.Max was dedicated to the BBC and Public Service, they applauded his speech and ideas.Those that disagreed with him were outnumbered, Max was the man for the job.

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Out of our depth

The right are wrong

The left bereft

And all we feel

Is out of our depth.

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The Nazis have taken over The BBC

©GeraldineBanksAugust2025

This is a fictional story not a commentary on what is actually happening at the BBC. A purely fictional story from my imagination, inspired by Primo Levi’s book The Periodic Table, which touches on how, he, as an Italian Chemist looking for work after the war had to deal with people who he had known while working at a big rubber plant next to Auschwitz. Although a well qualified chemist , he was in fact just another slave worker because of his Jewish religion. One of his bosses, “Mueller”, he came across years later while working as a free man in an Italian factory as an Industrial Chemist.

It fascinates me that the survivors were not only those who were prisoners in the death camps , but also those who played a role in managing businesses attached to the camp in an effort to support the Economy that the Nazi’s so heavily relied on. Where are those people today and have they forgotten what was taken away from them?

As Primo Levi outlined, his protagonist sought some sort of forgiveness which Levi felt he could not give. I on the other hand believe that there are some who think that their actions during the war were justified and  those who would never see them as wrong or against humanity.

Well those people still exist and perhaps a great Institution like the BBC is one of their targets. After all the BBC did a lot of damage to the German War Effort , it’s independence and World Service were examples to everyone… and that is where my story begins.

Carbon survives and is part and parcel of our World. No matter what happens.

Maximillian pushed back in his office chai and stretched his long legs under his desk. He smiled as he remembered his Great Grandfather’s soliloquies on “George Orwell”, calling them soliloquies perhaps was too kind or perhaps a stylish remnant of Max’s penchant for flowery language which he had on what he regarded as false pretences(what nonsense English Poetry was) achieved his double first in English Literature at Cambridge.

English Literature indeed, once you knew German, proper German, every other language was der unsinn or garbage and easily mastered if you put your mind to it which of course Max had. His English accent was perfect and no one but his close circle ever heard him speak German.

His Great Grandfather’s speeches were indeed rants, just like his progenitor Adolf Hitler and in the care home that he eventually landed up in England, he would rant on endlessly about “George”, the Socialist, that Communist Bugger. All his Great Grandpa’s care staff were from the Phillipines and hadn’t got a clue what he was talking about. They saw him as an acerbic old grouchy man, harmless and quite lost in his own World, but Maximillian had known what his Great Grandpa was talking about and he totally agreed with him.

His Gramp Pa had gone into hiding after World War two, he had lost everything. He like thousands of others was  a refugee, wandering the streets of Berlin, looking for his wife and children.

Unfortunately his house , his old life all gone Kapuut. After finding out his wife and children had died in one of the allied bombing raids , he managed to get to West Berlin before East Berlin was cut off. He was helped by some Nazi colleagues who were able to provide him with false papers, a false identity and a method of escape. He was indeed a wanted man as many who had anything to do with the “death camps” were.

With his new identity he blended into his new life.Working his way gradually across Europe as a travelling salesman.His penchant for languages stood him in good stead and he thought it genius that his false identity included a reference to Jewish ancestry.It had got him out of many a pickle as people looked at him in horror and if needed he would refer to a death camp and those he had lost in them .He was a good actor too.

Why he hated George Orwell so much, Max could never quite grasp, until when Max joined the BBC in the late 1990’s as fresh undergraduate, direct from University, full of ideas and on a fast track to be a producer , that perhaps he understood what had gone on as he had access to BBC archives .

Orwell worked for the BBC from 1941 to 1943, and during those years the Reich’s war had flourished, it certainly looked on the cards for a big change to happen to the World and for the Reich and it’s belief in it’s own destiny to be fulfilled. The German Army were largely in control of Europe, they were attacking the Russians and their allies. The Rest of the World too was beginning to see the benefits of authoritarian regimes , Japan was a strong ally and the Americans were keen to keep out of the War.

So what did Orwell do, living in drab London, under war conditions and doing a job as a journalist for the BBC which as an Institution he was largely unimpressed with. He stuck to the truth and he learned how to communicate succinctly and meaningfully with people who needed to hear the truth. He questioned authority and reported facts on the BBC’s World Broadcasting Stage which reached many that were living under authoritarian regimes or in conditions of extreme danger and at the same time gathered his ideas to write a book which would become “1984.”

This was why Max hated him and that was why Max had worked hard at the BBC to ruin it’s ethical stand and to ensure that the truth was a version of what Max and people like him wanted people to know. However, Max knew he had to be clever and he had helped with the process that lead to Orwell’s statue being placed outside the new building that became Broadcasting House. It appeased the BBC “socialists” and was part of his strategy in achieving Board Status at the BBC. Once on the Board of Governors , anything was possible.

(to be continued)

Thank you for reading and may your omnipotent being go with you. 🙏

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What is my favourite Recipe

Pumpernickel

Centuries-old German pumpernickel recipes, sourdough loaves made entirely from rye and typically coarsely ground rye berries. The dark colour of the bread comes from Maillard browning , the result of being baked at low temperature for many hours. A bread of love.

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What motivates you?

Doing the Motivation.

Doing The Motivation.

Namaste and thank you for reading🙏 May the omnipotent being of musicology go with you.

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My Top Ten Favourite Movies(Just so you know)

(In no particular order.)

The Shining ( brilliant acting, mad director and brilliant location)

The Great Escape ( brilliant acting, hots for Steve McQueen on the motorbike, tragic but momentous story of struggle against tyranny)

The Sting ( Paul Newman and Robert Redford, great together and excellent plot )

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid ( Total romance of American West)

Threads ( a stark reminder of the potential aftermath of nuclear war)

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie ( Absolute Classic to watch as a teenage girl)

Life of Brian ( Monty Python and Classic Humour)

The Producers ( Well basically anything by Mel Brooks)

Watership Down ( Animated Film, will never forget the book or Fiver )

The War of the Roses(1989) (Genius , like a lot of Michael Douglas Films- nb. The Shining , he was the Producer)

There are lots more….. so not a definitive list.

Hope it gives you some good ideas and you can watch them sometime somewhere. Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏

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Existentialism

What do you love about where you live?

Love and Living two very potent and significant words. I don’t believe they apply to any place, no matter if that place ticks the boxes of desirable,fashionable or even safe.

Where you are is where you are. What you can do with it is a variable that we all have responsibility for.

Namaste and Thank You for Reading. May Your Omnipotent Being go with You.🙏

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Oh Omnipotent Being!

Create An Emergency Preparedness Plan.

Well, I’m a bit worried. So I will plan……

  1. Look around me
  2. Quite a nice day, blue sky and white fluffy clouds.
  3. Go for a walk
  4. Come back from walk
  5. Hoover and put washing on.
  6. Think about something nice for lunch.
  7. Have lunch
  8. Think about packing for holiday.
  9. Oh Omnipotent Being!

Namaste and Thank You for Reading . May your Omnipotent Being Go With You.🙏

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Say What You Want to Say How You Wanna Say It.

You have my support in communicating anything with whatever words that you choose.

They are words, they don’t bomb or kill people, they can be used incorrectly , but they can disappear into the ether just as easily and be forgotten in a whisper. They can be laughed at. Yes they can offend but only if you let them and they can express all kinds of emotions.

In other words, say it as you please.

Namaste and Thank You for Reading. May Your Omnipotent Being Go with You.🙏

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