Created by Lavinia Warner, Tenko told the forgotten real-life story of the women prisoners of the Japanese who for three-and-a-half years suffered severe privations in barely habitable Sumatran camps. Written by Jill Hyem, Anne Valery and Paul Wheeler, the series followed the experiences of one particular group of women from the Fall of Singapore in February 1942 and their subsequent internment, through to their liberation in September 1945 and their ensuing attempts to rebuild their shattered lives. A feature-length reunion special set in 1950, rounded off the series.
In Singapore in 1941 the British middle classes lead a comfortable life though Marian Jefferson,unlike her friend Vicky,wants to return to England to do war work whilst her army officer husband Clifford is one of the few who believe the Japanese will attack by land. His opinion is shared by Australian radio presenter Bernard Webster who gets sacked for broadcasting his view that the colony is unprepared for invasion - though his girl-friend Rose admires his principles. Romance blossoms between two young couples,Lieutenant Simon Treves and Eurasian tour guide Christina Campbell and Kate Norris and Harry Redburn but these are rudely interrupted when the Japanese bombers strike. Hospital doctor Beatrice Mason,helped by Sister Ulrica and her nuns,tends to the many injured.
Despite Bernard's warnings few Europeans believe that Singapore will fall to the Japanese and New Year is celebrated as usual. However news of the capitulation of Hong Kong causes a change of heart and civilian evacuation to Australia gets underway though Dr. Mason and Sister Ulrica stay at the hospital. Simon must use force to get Christina on board when her European parentage is doubted and Rose's demands make her unpopular with other passengers. Squabbling among the evacuees is forgotten as the ship is torpedoed and many people,including Vicky,drown. The survivors make it ashore but they are caught by a Japanese patrol who separate the men from the women.
The female survivors are marched to the Kampong Getah prison camp where nurses Kate and Nellie meet up again with Dr. Mason,who takes charge of cleaning out their squalid hut. Sharing it with them are Sylvia Ashburton,a snobbish,imperious general's wife known to Marion, brassy Cockney Blanche Simmons who helps the withdrawn Dorothy Bennett with her baby,pregnant Sally Markham and weepy Judith Bowen and her daughter Debbie. The commandant Captain Yamauchi tells the women that disobedience will be punished and Marion,nominated by the others, has to intercede with him when his sadistic lieutenant Sato -Satan to the women - catches Sylvia trying to use a radio. As Sylvis is released from the punishment hut Dutch captives,including Sister Ulrica,arrive.
When some of the younger women are taken away by the guards there is fear that they will be raped but instead they are made to chop down trees. Sister Ulrica is appointed the spokesperson for the Dutch,who have more possessions and money than the British. Married traders Jo and Lia come to the camp and Sylvia softens,giving Dorothy money for food for her baby Violet. Dorothy offers to work for the wealthy Dutch prisoner Mrs. Van Leyden and,with the money earned,sneaks out at night to get milk for Violet from Lia. However Yamauchi finds out and bans the trading. Lia is staked out in the camp and,despite Dorothy's efforts to save her,dies.
Baby Violet dies and morale is low amongst the prisoners,especially when Judith Bowen,Christina and others go down with malaria,necessitating that sleeping arrangements are switched around to allow for a sick bay. The upheaval leads to Marian overhearing criticism of the quality of her leadership,which she herself begins to doubt. However,at a meeting she rallies all the women into organizing improvements to their lives. Then two Japanese secret policemen arrive and ask to see her.
Marion is released after being quizzed about the British troop strength in Singapore and Yamauchi goes off to headquarters,leaving Sato in charge. Christina recovers from malaria but a Dutch woman dies and Judith is weakening so that,when they hear that Red Cross parcels have arrived, Dorothy,Rose and Blanche,fearing that Sato will keep it for himself,steal some quinine. They are caught by guards who try to rape them. Whilst Rose and Blanche protest to Yamauchi on his return,Dorothy claims they were all willing and Blanche and Rose are to be punished as liars but Sylvia overhears Dorothy tell a guard that she lied and informs Yamauchi,who releases Rose and Blanche and gives Dorothy extra work duties. The incident splits opinion among the British women.
As Sally's time draws closer she becomes dependent on Nellie,who defies Dr. Mason to act as midwife at the premature birth. However the child is stillborn and Marion asks that Nellie moves into Sally's hut to comfort her. The two young women become very close, Nellie organizing Sally's birthday party,but a minority of nasty-minded women suggest that they are Lesbians,which upsets Sally. Nellie does not care but still moves out of Sally's hut. Judith gets a second,more deadly bout of malaria,prompting Blanche to consider an escape attempt.
Marion protests when a boy aged thirteen is sent to the men's camp,leading Yamauchi to allow the women to write home though Dorothy is apathetic. Christina wins Sylvia's respect when she acts as teacher to the children but Blanche is desperate to escape,especially after Judith dies. Everybody thinks she is mad except Debbie,who persuades her to let her go with her. Finding them gone Rose and Marion tell Yamauchi and the would-be escapees are caught.
After Debbie and Blanche are caught rations are cut,causing friction between the British and the Dutch. The two escapees are tied to posts but Debbie,on account of her being a juvenile,is released to her hut and Yamauchi agrees to release Blanche if the prisoners can make five hundred hats out of palm leaves. The deadline is eventually reached,with help from the children and latterly the Dutch and Blanche is untied. Yamauchi,meanwhile,impressed by Christina's abilities as a linguist,makes her his secretary and she promises to steal paper from his office.
The Dutch and British combine to celebrate Christmas as best as they can,with a concert,dinner and presents for the children. Blanche,still angry at Rose and Marian for reporting her,is initially apathetic but joins in,claiming to have seen evidence of male prisoners nearby. Festivities are brought forward a day as the women are told they will be moved to another camp though Yamauchi,now allowing Christina to take paper,does not know if he will be going with them. The male prisoners are briefly glimpsed but Sally is distraught that she cannot see her husband.
The women are split into two groups and marched through the jungle. However Debbie dies after being bitten by a poisonous spider and Marion feels responsible for not looking after her. After fearing that they are lost the group including Marian, Christina,Dr. Mason,Rose,Kate,Sally,Dorothy,Sister Ulrica and Mrs. Van Meyer meet elderly but tough aristocrat Joss Holbrook at an otherwise deserted transit camp. Only at this stage do they discover that they are going to a different camp from their friends. The women sit down in passive resistance to force their escorts to let them give Debbie a proper burial before they move on,sighting their new camp on New Year's Day.
The women are greeted by the efficient French doctor Trier and fed by her young assistant, orphan Daisy Robinson. The camp has superior facilities but its commandant Nakamura cannot speak English and relies on his stern,imperious interpreter Miss Hasan to run things for him. Marion meets an old friend,Lilian with her little boy Bobby and the new prisoners are welcomed by British Verna Johnson. Verna initially seems nice but soon the women learn that they will be working in a factory to make Japanese clothes and that they will be paying some of their wages to Verna and her boss,Miss Hasan,for their food.
It is now July 1945 and several prisoners, Blanche and Verna among them,have died of the illness sweeping through the camp. Nonetheless the women mark Alice Courtenay's seventeenth birthday with biscuits donated by Yamauchi until Sato stops the celebrations. As Allied planes drop propaganda leaflets there is a concern that the Japanese,facing defeat,will shoot the women,who prepare to defend themselves. They arm themselves with stones,only to hear from Yamauchi that the Japanese have surrendered and the war is over.
Several women,led by Dorothy and Maggie,attack Sato but Marion persuades them to leave him alone after Yamauchi has promised protection and opened the storeroom. Shortly afterwards British troops arrive to liberate the camp and the Japanese flag is replaced by the Union Jack. The troops take the women to visit the male prisoners and Kate is appalled by the decline in Tom's health. During a celebratory party Joss and Maggie step outside and witness Sato committing ritual suicide. Next day the women set out for Singapore,Marion saying goodbye to Yamauchi,who has now become the prisoner.
The women are flown to Singapore where they are put up in comfort at the Raffles hotel but warned against going out alone as collaborators are being shot in the streets. Whilst most of the party revel in their new freedom Dorothy,with no family,feels alienated,Christina and Marion are desperate for news of Simon and Clifford and Dr. Mason finds the celebratory party all too much for her.
Complete episode guide for Tenko with detailed information about every season and episode including air dates, summaries, ratings, and streaming availability in Spain.
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Dr. Trier notes Dr. Mason's failing eyesight and gives her glasses and light hospital duties. Dorothy raises eyebrows through her friendship with Shinya,one of the guards,but Rose is cheered to know the male internment camp is nearby. Miss Hasan tells Marion ans Sister Ulrica that Verna is the prisoners' only leader but Verna gains Marion's confidence by hiding her forbidden diary and asking her to join the discipline committee. During a show visit by Japanese dignitaries to give the impression that the women are well-treated Sally kills herself,thereby sabotaging the exercise.
For allowing Sally's suicide to disrupt the propaganda visit the prisoners must work overtime at the factory though Christina is whisked off to work elsewhere. Sister Ulrica confesses to a visiting priest her shame at condoning the burial of a suicide and as a consequence takes a vow not to speak to the others. Lilian becomes obsessive over Bobby's welfare as he is her only child after several miscarriages. Joss is discovered to be a titled lady but at her sixty-eighth birthday she and the other prisoners learn that Dorothy is pregnant following an affair with a guard at their previous camp.
The women are split over whether Dorothy should have the termination she desires though Sister Ulrica breaks her penance of silence to console her,which she appreciates. Verna guesses and borrows money from Hasan to pay May,a local abortionist,to do the necessary,helped by Dr. Mason. The new district commander arrives, Yamauchi, now a major,who replaces Nakamura with Sato. Sister Ulrica confesses to the visiting priest how she broke her penance and is transferred to a convent to remove the temptation of involvement with worldly matters. All the women are sad at her departure.
As Dorothy senses the Japanese are losing the war the women's rations are cut to feed the army. Christina and Blanche arrive at the camp,the latter with news that Sylvia died of cholera. Lilian is upset to learn that she is not on the list for repatriation as she is selling all she has to feed Bobby but Dr. Trier is,leaving Dr. Mason in charge of the hospital. Christina,who has acted as interpreter in the grilling of local rebels tells Rose she has proof that Bernard and Peter are still alive.
Reluctant to return home to Vichy-occupied France Dr. Trier hands over her research notes to Dr. Mason,who is concerned for Lilian's sanity. Rose gets a message from Bernard and,whilst the Japanese are celebrating the emperor's birthday,slips out into the jungle to meet him in a hut. He tells her that Peter is dead and Tom in solitary confinement for stealing paper. They agree to marry after the war but the soldiers become aware of Rose's absence and follow her into the jungle. The women are shocked to hear two shots ring out.
Bernard is killed instantly but Rose is put in a coma,finally coming to after Kate,rather than Dr. Mason with her bad eyesight,has removed the bullet from her. However she is paralyzed from the waist down. Dorothy learns that Rose was betrayed and suspicion falls on Christina because she has extra food - actually given her by Yamauchi as he has an upset stomach. Christina appears before the disciplinary committee but is found not guilty,after which Marion discovers that it was Lilian who betrayed Rose in exchange for money from Hasan to buy food for Bobby.
Bobby is ostracized by the other children whilst some of the internees attack Lilian for betraying Rose with the result that the mother and son are transferred to another camp for their own protection. Christina,however,finds it hard to accept the other prisoners' apologies for suspecting her. Rose finally learns Bernard's fate and sinks into a depression,asking Dr. Mason to kill her. The doctor refuses,knowing that Rose is dying anyway but when,next day she announces to the others that Rose passed away peacefully in the night it is suggested that she may have helped her on her way
Cheered by news of an allied advance the women celebrate with sake brewed by Blanche whilst Shinya,about to leave for battle,confesses to Dorothy that he shot Rose.She forgives him. He also tells her that the Red Cross parcels,evidence of which Christina has seen,have been deliberately withheld to make the women pay for their contents. Verna admits this but claims that Hasan ordered it. However before the prisoners can expose Hasan she and Shinya are killed and Daisy and Sato injured when an allied plane drops a bomb on the camp. The internees seize the chance to raid the store room for the Red Cross parcels,defying Yamauchi.
Joss is approached by Stephen Wentworth,who knew her late friend Monica,who asks her to help set up a welfare centre for locals and they get drunk together. Christina is angry that British officials still discriminate against her for being half-caste. Marion finds her home has been kept immaculate by occupying Japanese but has no word of Clifford whilst Dorothy's bungalow has been vandalised by locals daubing anti-British slogans. She is befriended by Jake Haulter,a charming if shady local,who helps her obtain new furniture.
Marion is reunited with Clifford and they move back to their house though,after four years of looking out for herself,she feels uncomfortable at being waited on. She also finds Clifford racist,especially when he tells Christina that Simon is married. More newly-released internees come to the hotel,from whom Dr. Mason learns of Nellie's death. This makes her determined to give evidence against Yamauchi,at Clifford's request. Some of the women recognise and attack Dorothy as a collaborator following her affair with the Japanese guard but she escapes and runs into Sister Ulrica.
Whilst everybody is pleased to see Sister Ulrica she makes it clear she is only convalescing locally and may return to Holland. Joss and Stephen recruit Dr. Mason into helping with their work but her failing eyesight causes her to lash out at those around her. Marion is annoyed when Clifford finds her diary,which he intends to use to indict Yamauchi,increasing their alienation from each other. Learning that her mother was killed in an air-raid and has left her a house Dorothy decides to return to England whilst Jake offers Maggie a room at his house. At Dorothy's farewell party Dr. Mason confides in Marion that she is going blind.
Joss is arrested in possession of black market penicillin obtained from Jake but is released after questioning. However,Christina's uncle,taken with Joss,is imprisoned as a collaborator because he carried on working under the occupation to feed his family,increasing Christina's dislike of the British. In fact,when word comes that Yamauchi is awaiting trial,along with Marion and Sister Ulrica,she is the only ex-internee who refuses to testify against him,even visiting him in prison. Maggie and Jake meanwhile start a relationship.
Tom dies in hospital and the group of women,along with welfare officer Phyllis,support Kate at his funeral. Alice attends a dance where a boy touches her up and Dr. Mason has to teach her sex education to assure her that she is not pregnant. Maggie on the other hand would seem to be,following her afternoon delight with a male prisoner to celebrate their liberation. Marion visits Yamauchi who tells her that he knew about her diary and that he would rather be executed than face life in prison. Clifford is not pleased when he finds out,leading Marion to say that she feels they have no future together.
Alice is overjoyed when Phyllis tells her she is going home next day with the others following in a week. Jake detects that Maggie is pregnant and offers to marry her but she gratefully declines and prepares to leave for England,having confided a secret from her past in Dr. Mason. Mrs. Van Meyer is dismayed to learn that her husband is alive as,despite her boasts,hers had been a loveless marriage of convenience. Ironically she tells Marion how much she envies her,unaware of the rift in Marion and Clifford's marriage. Joss is mugged after a pleasant day out with Stephen and taken to hospital.
Joss dies peacefully in her sleep whilst her friends are at a picnic. After her funeral her will is read,leaving them each a thousand pounds and a stipend for Stephen and Dr. Mason,so long as they continue to run the Centre. Sister Ulrica,having announced that she will stay in Singapore to work at a leper colony,visits Yamauchi to cheer him before his execution.The women have a party to remember absent friends and agree to a reunion in five years time. After Marion and Clifford accept that,whilst they love each other,the war has changed them,she prepares to return to England with Maggie,who will be staying with Dorothy. The others wave them off at the quayside.