AustLit

Danger 5 began in 2012 as a six-part broad comedy series that filters World War II through the exploitative spy thrillers of the 1960s.

Centred on six operatives from various Allied powers, the program follows their attempts to stop an increasingly absurd series of Nazi plots (including, for example, the theft by dirigible of the world's national monuments in order to build an enormous statue of Hitler, or the use of dinosaurs in combat) and, as their commanding officer constantly reminds them, 'As always, kill Hitler.'

The comedy is extremely broad and both exploits and mocks the exploitative nature of 1960s' film and television, as apparent, for example, in the title of episode five: 'Fresh Meat for Hitler's Sex Kitchen'.

The program also makes interesting use of the multilingual nature of such an international team: rather than eliding this by having all characters speaking English, the program uses a multitude of languages combined with English sub-titles.

In 2013, a second series was produced, this time set in the 1980s.

'Cyprus 1974. A Cypriot family flees advancing Turkish forces and takes refuge in an abandoned Ottoman-era palace. When a young Turkish Cypriot conscript comes face to face with the family in hiding, he is forced to confront the brutal reality of war and his role in it.'

Source: The Palace website, www.thepalace1974.com (sighted 13/12/2011)