| Genre | Comedy |
|---|---|
| Running time | 28 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Languages | English |
| Home station | BBC Radio 4 |
| Starring | Stephanie Cole, Benedict Cumberbatch, Roger Allam, John Finnemore |
| Writers | John Finnemore |
| Directors | David Tyler (UK) |
| Producers | David Tyler (UK) |
| Air dates | since 2008 |
| No. of series | 3 (plus Xmas special) |
| Audio format | Stereophonic sound |
Cabin Pressure is a radio situation comedy series written by John Finnemore. Its first series was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2008.[1][2] The show follows the exploits of the oddball crew of the single aeroplane owned by "MJN Air" as they are chartered to take all manner of items, people or animals across the world. The show stars Stephanie Cole, Roger Allam, Benedict Cumberbatch and John Finnemore.
Critical reception to the series was positive and three series have currently been produced, the most recent broadcast in July, 2011, along with a special 2010 Christmas day episode.[3] Cabin Pressure will return for a fourth series in 2012.[4] The theme tune of the series is the Overture to Ruslan and Lyudmila by Mikhail Glinka.
Contents |
As part of her last divorce settlement, Carolyn Knapp-Shappey (Stephanie Cole) was given a mid-size jet aeroplane named "Gerti" (a fictional "Lockheed McDonnell 312"[5]). As a result, she founds her very own single plane charter airline, "MJN Air" ("My Jet Now"), which is crewed by an oddball mixture of characters who fly to various cities around the world, encountering a variety of odd situations.
The airline's only Captain, Martin Crieff (Benedict Cumberbatch), has wanted to be a pilot since he was six years old (before which he wanted to be an aeroplane). He suffers, however, from a distinct lack of ability in that department. He was rejected by at least one flight school, and had to put himself through the required coursework, barely qualifying for his certification - on his second attempt. He took the job with MJN for no salary at all, as long as he could be Captain.[6] He appears to have no outside interests beyond flying. He is a stickler for procedures and regulations, but is more prissy than pompous. At the end of series two he tells Douglas that he survives financially by running a delivery service using the van he inherited from his father. This was his only inheritance because his father believed he would waste any money he received trying to become a pilot.
First Officer Douglas Richardson (Roger Allam) is, on the other hand, a quite competent pilot who worked for Air England - until he was fired for embezzlement. He chafes at his subordinate position to Martin, and misses no opportunity to flaunt his superiority in the younger pilot's face. In later episodes, it is revealed that Douglas, ashamed of his second-rate job, dresses in Captain's uniform for his wife Helena's benefit, changing to First Officer's uniform before he gets to work. Douglas is, however, something of a smooth operator who knows all of the dodges available to airline officers, and enjoys taking part in all of them.
The cockpit crew frequently engage in word games, such as naming Brians [sic.] of Britain, making bets that Douglas always wins or playing 'Simon says'.
Carolyn's son Arthur (John Finnemore) is an eager dimwit in his late 20s, who is supposed to be the flight attendant but usually manages to get in everyone's way. Arthur is a relentless optimist, whose biggest claim to fame is being the inventor (or at least discoverer) of fizzy yoghurt (the recipe for which is yoghurt plus time).
The Independent's Nicholas Lezard praised the first series highly, called "the writing and performances...exceptional" and suggested that the show "deserves an award".[7] Gillian Reynolds of The Daily Telegraph called Cabin Pressure "one of the best written, cast, acted and directed comedies on anywhere."[8]
Cabin Pressure was nominated for a Writers' Guild of Great Britain award in 2010.[9]
In 2011, John Finnemore won the Best Radio Comedy 2011, awarded by the Writers' Guild of Great Britain[10][11].
While it has never been formally announced, it has become apparent that the episode titles are inspired by letters of the alphabet beginning with the first episode, "Abu Dhabi", followed by "Boston" etc. In Series 2 and 3 the episodes were broadcast out of the original intended order for various reasons.[12] Series 4 would therefore have episodes beginning with letters "T" through "Y".
| No. | Episode No. | Title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Abu Dhabi" | July 2, 2008 |
| After making a £7,000 diversion to Bristol, Martin tries his best to keep to budget for the flight to Abu Dhabi. En route Supreme commander captain Crieff must then make a life or death decision about a client's cat, will he manage to save his career? Does anyone smell smoke on the flight deck? | |||
| 2 | 2 | "Boston" | July 9, 2008 |
| As a particularly obnoxious passenger boards MJN air for the flight to Boston, Massachusetts the crew decide to have a little fun with terminal consequences. | |||
| 3 | 3 | "Cremona" | July 16, 2008 |
| A minor celebrity is flown to Cremona. With a dozen shirts, a stateroom and a bunch of unruly fans singing songs about dragons — how can Douglas use these to get a fluffy dressing gown? Guest starring Helen Baxendale. | |||
| 4 | 4 | "Douz" | July 23, 2008 |
| A routine charter to pick up the Scottish cricket team when their plane "breaks down" at the desert airport of Douz, can an aeroplane run on rabbit food? Guest starring John Sessions. | |||
| 5 | 5 | "Edinburgh" | July 30, 2008 |
| A very special passenger makes Douglas grovel, Martin crawl, Carolyn frisk and Arthur cry and drink nail varnish. | |||
| 6 | 6 | "Fitton" | August 6, 2008 |
| The crew are grounded, so Arthur shows them why apples are the secret of happiness, and Martin shows Carolyn how to be an air hostess. | |||
| Number | Episode No. | Title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 1 | "Helsinki" | July 17, 2009 |
| Carolyn and her sister haven't spoken for 15 years. Despite this, Arthur has invited her and her family to fly to Finland, together with 500 euros-worth of smuggled orchids. | |||
| 8 | 2 | "Gdansk" | July 24, 2009 |
| MJN Air is chartered to ferry a chamber orchestra, Carolyn has to deal with a neurotic bassoon player, and Martin is in competition with Douglas to finally win at something. | |||
| 9 | 3 | "Ipswich" | July 31, 2009 |
| When the crew have to go on a refresher safety and emergency procedures course, it spells trouble for Douglas's inner dog and Martin's inner ear. | |||
| 10 | 4 | "Johannesburg" | August 7, 2009 |
| Carolyn makes a daring bet with her pilots to reduce the trip budget, initiating a race against time in a sleepy Spanish airfield. | |||
| 11 | 5 | "Kuala Lumpur" | August 14, 2009 |
| A week on standby at the airfield gives Arthur an opportunity to brush up on his stewarding skills, while Douglas seems to have disappeared. More importantly, why is everyone terrified of Dirk the groundsman? | |||
| 12 | 6 | "Limerick" | August 21, 2009 |
| An interminable flight with a very baffling cargo gives the crew the opportunity to pass the time by alternately opening their hearts up to each other and persuading Arthur not to play charades. | |||
| Number | Episode No. | Title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 1 | "Molokai" | December 25, 2010 |
| Bing-bong merrily on high! It's Christmas morning on board MJN Air, but when Carolyn schedules an extra stop-off to the Hawaiian island of Molokai, Arthur has just seven minutes to celebrate Christmas. How can Douglas and Martin make this the best Christmas Arthur has ever had when all they have on board are some custard creams, a chicken sandwich and a Russian oligarch... | |||
| No. | Episode No. | Title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 1 | "Qikiqtarjuaq" | July 1, 2011 |
| MJN Air flies a party of tourists to the island of Qikiqtarjuaq near the North Pole, sightseeing for polar bears. Martin defends his "professionalism", Carolyn hunts for a lemon. Meanwhile, Alfred Hitchcock makes a surprise appearance... | |||
| 15 | 2 | "Paris" | July 8, 2011 |
| When a bottle of expensive whisky goes missing, Martin becomes the Miss Marple of MJN Air. Geoffrey Whitehead returns as Mr. Birling, the rich and high-tipping client from the Series 1 episode Edinburgh. | |||
| 16 | 3 | "Newcastle" | July 15, 2011 |
| Love is in the air, but also unfortunately in a small airport in Birmingham - and Martin has to choose between career, romance and fixing a very small tail-light. Carolyn meets a rather dashing pilot whilst Arthur meets a rather boring board game. With special guests Anthony Head, Anna Crilly and Mark Williams. Guest Tom Goodman-Hill plays Martin, Benedict Cumberbatch being ill at the time of recording. [12] | |||
| 17 | 4 | "Ottery St Mary" | July 22, 2011 |
| Martin is a man with a van, Douglas flies a plane with an otter, and Carolyn dates a pilot with a problem with sheep. And two mysteries solved - the name of Carolyn's dog and the rules of Yellow Car. With special guests Anthony Head, Flip Webster and Ewan Bailey | |||
| 18 | 5 | "Rotterdam" | July 29, 2011 |
| It's Lifejacket, Camera, Action as stardom beckons for one of the crew of MJN Air... but who will get to blow the final whistle? And will they look good in a vest? With guest stars Anthony Head and Gus Brown. | |||
| 19 | 6 | "St Petersburg" | August 5, 2011 |
|
Some vodka and an unwary goose could spell the end of the line for MJN Air, and when Carolyn meets her ex-husband the atmosphere turns even icier... With guest stars Timothy West and Paul Shearer. |
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