Night Mail is a triumph in British documentary film making. It’s not a public information film, but its creative use of music and poetry to illustrate the postal service’s night mail procedures is what links it to public information films.

The GPO Film Unit sets out an ordinary scene of postal workers going about their duties, showing each step along the way. It is a standard educational film, until the last few minutes, where the poetry and music are brought in as a closer. This use of multimedia humanises the service, reminding the audience that the job these men are doing affects real people - “letters for the rich, letters for the poor”, it’s something for everyone no matter your circumstance.

The poetry was written by W.H. Auden (narrated by Stuart Legg) and the music was written by Benjamin Britten. Locations included Bletchley, Preston, Wigan and Beattock Summit in Scotland. The film was highly praised at the time of release, and even now it leaves a great mark on British culture. Night Mail has been used and referenced in other musical works, most notably in a song by Public Service Broadcasting.