Were it not for the uniforms, it could be a scene from a modern-day conflict: British soldiers sharing a joke and a cigarette as they enjoy a brief respite from battle.

Remarkably, the footage is a century old. Peter Jackson, the Oscar-winning director best known for his Lord of the Rings trilogy, has created a film from the archives of the Imperial War Museum which promises a fresh perspective on the First World War.

Jackson and his team have used the latest digital technology to bring original footage from the Somme to life, for a film designed to reach a young generation more acquainted with Jackson’s fantasy epics than British military history.