Piece of Cake (TV series)

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Piece of Cake was a six part 1988 television series, depicting the life of a Royal Air Force fighter squadron from the day of the British entry into World War II through to one of the toughest days in the Battle of Britain (7 September 1940). The series was produced by London Weekend Television.

The series is based on the 1983 novel of the same name, by Derek Robinson. In the book, the squadron is equipped with Hurricanes. The relative rarity of airworthy Hurricanes in the late 1980s precluded their use in the television series.

The squadron depicted was the fictional Hornet Squadron, which was equipped with Supermarine Spitfire fighters, and deployed to France, where it waited out the Phoney War in comfort and elegance, until the German attack on Western Europe in May 1940. One by one, nearly all of the original pilots were killed and as losses mounted, the character of the squadron changed from a casual nonchalance to a fight for survival. By the end of the series, only four of the original fourteen officers had survived.

[edit] Officers

Squadron Leader Ramsey (Pilot. Commanding Officer. Killed 1939) - Jack McKenzie
Squadron Leader Rex (Pilot. Ramsey's successor. Killed 1940) - Tim Woodward
Flight Lieutenant Marriott (Engineering Officer. Killed 1940) - Stephen MacKenna
Flight Lieutenant 'Uncle' Kellaway (Adjutant) - David Horovitch
Flight Lieutenant 'Fanny' Barton (Pilot and Flight Commander. Succeeded Rex as C.O. May 1940) - Tom Burlinson
Flying Officer 'Skull' Skelton (Intelligence Officer) - Richard Hope
Flying Officer 'Moggy' Cattermole (Pilot. Killed 1940) - Neil Dudgeon
Flying Officer 'Pip' Patterson (Pilot) - George Anton
Flying Officer 'Flip' Moran (Pilot and Flight Commander. Killed 1940) - Gerard O'Hare
Flying Officer 'Flash' Gordon (Pilot. Killed 1940) - Nathaniel Parker
Pilot Officer 'Fitz' Fitzgerald (Pilot. Killed 1940) - Jeremy Northam
Pilot Officer 'Sticky' Stickwell (Pilot. Killed 1940) - Gordon Lovitt
Pilot Officer 'Mother' Cox (Pilot. Wounded in Action 1940) - Patrick Bailey
Pilot Officer Hart (Replacement Pilot. U.S. Volunteer. Killed 1940) - Boyd Gaines
Pilot Officer 'Dickie' Starr (Pilot. Killed 1939) - Tom Radcliffe
Pilot Officer 'Moke' Miller (Pilot. Killed 1940) - Mark Womack

[edit] Trivia

Hornet Squadron also featured in several of Robinson's books about the war in the air in World War I.

Hornet Squadron was equipped with Spitfires, but in reality, only Hawker Hurricane equipped fighter squadrons were deployed to France in 1939-1940 (Spitfires were retained in Britain). Other Aircraft deployed by the RAF in France as part of the Advanced Air Striking Force were Bristol Blenheims and Fairey Battles (both light bombers).

The flag of Hornet Squadron was shown a couple of times during the series. The central emblem of the squadron was a hornet. The motto beneath the emblem: BEWARE OUR STING

There were various marks (types) of Spitfires used in the series. Three Mk.IXs, a Pr.XI and a Mk.Ia. At the time that the series was set (1939–40), the RAF only had the Mark I and Mark IA Spitfire in service.