The BBC will mark the 80th anniversary of VJ Day with a wide-ranging slate of special programming across television, radio, online and archive and reporting from BBC News.

Tim Davie, Director-General of the BBC, says: “The 80th anniversary of VJ Day is a moment to honour the courage and sacrifice of all who served in the Far East during the Second World War. Through powerful stories and testimonies across our coverage, the BBC is proud to be able to pay tribute to these men and women and ensure that their service, bravery and fortitude are remembered.”

The centrepiece of the coverage will be a live commemorative event, VJ Day 80: The Nation’s Tribute, broadcast on BBC One and iPlayer from the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. This event, produced by BBC Studios Events on behalf of the Royal British Legion and supported by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), will be attended by some of the last surviving Second World War veterans of the campaign in the Far East and the Pacific.

Also on BBC One and iPlayer, The One Show will be live from the National Memorial Arboretum for a special episode sharing powerful stories from veterans. Antiques Roadshow will present a special VJ Day edition filmed at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, hosted by Fiona Bruce.

BBC News will mark the 80th anniversary of VJ Day with extensive coverage across TV and digital platforms. BBC Breakfast and the News at One will feature live reports from the National Memorial Arboretum and moving interviews with veterans and their families. The News at Six and Ten will also be presented live from the Arboretum on 15 August, with special features running throughout the week. Online, the BBC News website will host a dedicated live page with rolling updates. In the lead-up to the day, Rachel Burden presents VJ Day 80: We Were There, sharing powerful first-hand testimonies from the last surviving veterans as part of the BBC’s ongoing “We Were There” project.

BBC Radio 2’s Jeremy Vine Show will mark VJ Day with reflections on the final stages of the war and the voices of veterans who fought for Britain against Japan. BBC Radio 4 will deliver an extensive season, including Kavita Puri’s three-part series The History Podcast: The Second Map, Archive on 4: Exposing Hiroshima, the audio drama Drama on 4: Hersey’s Hiroshima, Book at Bedtime with Tim McInnerny reading Kazuo Ishiguro’s An Artist of the Floating World, and a special edition of Any Questions? from the REME Museum. BBC Radio 5 Live will provide live coverage of the commemorations at the National Memorial Arboretum and observe the national two-minute silence. Matt Chorley will also broadcast a special programme live from the historic Cabinet War Rooms, with exclusive behind-the-scenes insights from the wartime headquarters.

BBC Sounds will launch The History Podcast: The Second Map as a three-part boxset. Presented by award-winning journalist Kavita Puri, the series uncovers untold stories of Britain’s war against Japan through remarkable first-hand testimonies, including from veterans, POWs, and their descendants. The podcast explores the resilience, heroism, and hidden histories of those who lived through and fought in the war on the Asian front.

Newsround will help younger audiences understand the significance of VJ Day with special explainers on the war in the East and the national commemorations.

BBC Archive will surface rare footage, photography, and audio from the BBC’s historical collections, including digitised material from the Burma campaign and first-hand reports from Hiroshima.