It has been noted by several politicians that the men returning from duty do not get the recognition they deserve from the public. Many have not come back at all. Some 297 men and women have died while serving with the British Armed Forces in the current military campaigns.

It's the families and friends of those who have died while serving out there who talk openly about their feelings, their loved ones and their grief, in this powerful and poignant three-hour one-off documentary.

Morgan Matthews, the director of the film, says: "It seemed to me that as a nation we were becoming de-sensitised to the news of British servicemen and women killed in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the majority of reports seemed increasingly generic and impersonal.

"We wanted to make a tangible connection between viewers and the people who have died, through the intimate testimony from some of the families and friends who have been left behind. We wanted loved ones to have an opportunity to make their voices and feelings public and, by doing so, we hope that this will provide viewers with a small insight into the scale, intensity and legacy of this loss – a loss happening in our name. We feel it is important that each and every person should be mentioned in the film by name. We endeavoured to write to all next of kin to tell them about the film and to give them the opportunity to make contact with us. The production team has spoken on the phone or in person to more than 200 family members.

"Some people made contact with us to let us know that, though they did not want to be involved, they approved of the making of the film. Others called simply because they wanted to talk."

They have filmed the little girl who sings the special song she has written to her daddy; the grandparents who show the video diaries filmed by their grandson out in Iraq; the mother who shows the outfit her son was famous for dressing up in to go "out on the pull"; the sister who goes to the grave to talk to her brother up in Heaven; and the fiancée whose partner had asked her to marry him shortly before he was killed. The documentary also uses cherished personal home movie footage featuring those who have died, as well
as archive footage, leaving a lasting impression of their lives both inside and out of the Armed Forces.

"We felt honoured to have been invited into these homes," says Morgan Matthews. "Our sincere hope is that this film will represent and remember some of the individual characters of those who have paid the ultimate price and bring attention to the perpetual sense of loss that parents and loved ones must endure.

"A small number of family members did not want any additional information other than that which is already in the public domain to be broadcast. We felt it was important to be consistent and so decided to mention all those that have died, with their names appearing on
the screen.

"Included in this are men and women who have not died in action, but as a result of accidents, natural causes, suicides or for whom the cause of death is as yet unconfirmed (due to ongoing investigation). We have taken this list of fatalities from the Ministry of Defence.

"Our intention has been to remember those who have died and to tell the personal stories of some of those who have been left behind – we have not set out to make a political film.

"Whatever people's political beliefs and however that divides response, our hope is that the film will explore the universal truth of losing someone you love in a conflict situation."

The Fallen, BBC 2, Saturday, 9.05pm.