Cabin Pressure!
*Bing Bong*
Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your captain speaking.
We are currently part way through our flight from Yverdon-les-Bains to Zurich. I would like to thank you for choosing to fly with us today. Especially a distance that, according to Google, takes about 2 hours and 5 minutes in the car (in current traffic).
Of course this could only mean one thing.
Cabin Pressure!
Yes! Welcome aboard MJN air! Please fasten your seatbelts, listen carefully to the safety demonstration (presented beautifully by first officer Douglas Richardson and his identical twin brother Dougie) look out for any yellow cars or camel camels (black dogs do not count) and enjoy your flight. A member of the Cabin Crew will be round shortly with the lunch menu (I promise you the cheesecake is FINE), and if you’re really lucky you might get a complimentary bear fact upon your departure.
What started as a small radio play on BBC Radio 4 in 2008 has come to be the subject of world-wide success and adoration. Written by John Finnemore (who also stars alongside Rogar Allam, Benedict Cumberbatch, Stephanie Cole and a wide range of guest stars) Cabin Pressure truly is a remarkable piece of entertainment.
Shall I introduce you to the cabin crew?
First we have the captain, Martin Crieff (Benedict Cumberbatch). Don’t let appearances fool you; he really truly DEFINITELY is the captain! He’s got the impressive hat and everything. Now he may not exactly get paid to fly planes, works as a man with a van on the side to earn money, lives in the attic of a student house and considers a meal consisting of a baked potato a treat but, don’t feel too sorry for him. He’s living the dream, he’s a pilot! Pursuing the only thing he’s wanted to do ever since he was 6 (and before that he wanted to be an aeroplane). He may seem a bit frantic and incompetent on top, but underneath he’s extremely hard working, passionate and right where he wants to be!
Next, first officer Douglas Richardson (Roger Allam). No, he is NOT the captain, but you’d be forgiven for thinking so. What can we say about Douglas? Possible inventor/co-creator of such classic games as ‘Flight Deck Buckaroo’, ‘The Travelling Lemon’ and more word games than you can count! (I’ll never say “Russell Crowe” the same again) He may get by on his super-duper self-confidence, obvious intelligence, dry wit and many a sarcastic statement, but he’s a good man – secretly lovely at heart. Most importantly, you can always count on him to do something clever and sort everything out!
Now for the CEO of MJN air, the alpha dog, Carolyn Knapp-Shappey (Stephanie Cole). Definitely NOT a little old lady and is making the most of the plane she won in her divorce by starting up this small airline (or with only one plane…an airdot). You do not get on the wrong side of this one. Always the politest of polite to the passengers though not always successfully concealing the heavy sarcasm that lies beneath, she is determined, strong-willed, always up for a game (especially a competitive one) and almost singlehandedly keeping the business afloat!
And of course, Carolyn’s son, our Toblerone enthusiast, creator of ‘Surprising Rice’ and ‘Fizzy Yoghurt’ (don’t go calling Gordon Ramsay just yet) and bear expert the absolutely brilliant Arthur Shappey (John Finnemore). Endlessly cheery, always the optimist and not quite as stupid as he seems….well…almost..pretty much…sometimes. Always helping everyone (often too much at times) and can find good in pretty much everything, EVEN take-off delays! He’s the absolute heart of this show and will be sure to bring a smile to your face. Oh, but don’t let him eat strawberries.
As you can probably tell, I really could go on forever. This is only the tip of the iceberg!
Basically, Cabin Pressure is….BRILLIANT.
It is as heart-warming as it is hilarious; you truly grow to love these wonderful characters. If you haven’t listened to this show, and if you weren’t already impressed with their snazzy website complete with the line of dancing aeroplanes, I can’t possibly recommend it enough. Go and get your hands on it immediately. What are you waiting for? GO! GO!
With one final episode to go (possibly towards the end of 2014, we’re not sure yet) it’s certainly going to be tough to see it end, but it will be worth it to have been a part of this inspiring journey.
Thank you for flying MJN Air!
(P.S. A grizzly bear can strip a deer’s carcass in 6 minutes)
You can get Cabin Pressure Series 1-3 including the Christmas special from Amazon HERE and Series 4 HERE. (Once again other sites and other region specific amazon sites are available).
Brilliant! It’s hard to pinpoint which are my favourite episodes, but Vaduz, Yverdon-les-Bains and Xinzhou are pretty outstanding! My favourite audiowork from Ben. =)