Footsteps’ ratings jumped more than 9% last week to see it back over the million mark, at 1.024 million viewers, as it posted its highest result in Sydney of 310,000.

Last night’s episode featured 25-year-old camera operator, Kathryn Ward, as she walked in the footsteps of her grandfather, Les Semken, who survived the Japanese bombing of Darwin on February 19 1942 – the first time the Australian mainland had come under fire.

Now 90, in 1942 Les Semken was a carpenter working in Darwin to try to save money for a world trip. When the world came to him, his life was changed forever. His traumatic time in Darwin prompted him to join the Army and do his part to keep his country free.

Now, almost 70 years later, his granddaughter Kathryn takes us along with her on her personal quest to learn about the war that came to our shores and how it changed her beloved Pa.

It’s a tender story where a typical vibrant 25-year-old Australian woman takes time out to learn from her grandfather and to understand the historic moments that shaped her grandfather’s life at a similar age: a tale of the wisdom of elders and the life-changing experiences of youth.

Next week, July 10, will be the final episode of the first series of Footsteps and will feature 52-year-old Steve Johns as he walks in his Dad’s footsteps: Stan “Stunna” Johns, a Korean and Vietnam War veteran. Steve knew his Dad as a violent family man and wants to understand the wartime experiences that contributed to his Dad’s post-war life.