You Should Listen To This: Cabin Pressure
I’ve been saving this one till they started repeating it on BBC Radio 4.
This series is something i've been obsessed with for the last few years, and not since My Childhood love of Doctor Who have I been so enthralled by a programme. You should listen to Cabin Pressure. Produced for the BBC by Pozzitive, Cabin pressure is the story of a tiny charter airline staffed by four people with one plane. It follows their (literal) ups and downs as they fly everyone from a full orchestra to an abandoned cricket team.
I first discovered it by accident a few years ago. The BBC Radio iPlayer app was fairly new at the time and it curates all of the programmes in to categories as well as stations. I often go through the comedy section to see what their is and the name pop up many times along with the image of Benedict Cumberbatch in a captains uniform. I must have just taken a punt on an episode one day and the rest as they say is… spending the next few months listning back to all the episodes I’d missed in order and falling head over ears for the world of MJN air. The friendliest sitcom on radio.
The lynchpin behind it all is the writer, John Finnemore. An immense talent, responsible for a number of brilliant programmes on Radio 4. He also plays the part of Arthur, the loveable but dim server. Writing a sitcom can be challenging and demands good characters, the central four blend together seamlessly, they are real in a bizarre world, making you care about their wants and happy about their successes.
The depth of it’s warmth is matched by the depths of it’s characters.
“A list of actors that wouldn’t be out of place in a play at The National."
Yes that is Sherlock playing Martin Creiff! They were originally worried when Benedict was propelled to stardom Sherlock as a groups (school's or murder’s) of young fans began to fill the audience at the recordings. It was thought that they’d come to see him and not really react (laugh) at this Radio 4 comedy but they needn't have worried as the the equation of Finemore's writing and a stellar cast makes it near impossible for anyone not to find this charmingly hilarious.
kkbook.deviantart.com
The Sherlock and Cumberbatch fandoms have a reputation (a good one) for not doing things by halves and in the most creative way. The show was already popular but it skyrocketed (pun intended) in a way that Radio 4 sitcoms don’t usually do. Fan art, Cosplay and even a European convention called Euro Airdot Con*
*The name ‘Airdot’ is a reference to the first ever episode where Carolyn and Martin are having a discussion about who’s in charge. Him (the captain) or her (The airline owner)
CAROLYN: Martin, you’re a berk.
MARTIN: I’m not a berk, Carolyn; I’m an airline captain.
CAROLYN: Wrong on both counts. You’re a colossal berk; and you’re not an airline captain.
(Martin sighs.): I don’t have an airline. I have one jet. You cannot put one jet in a line. If MJN is anything, it is an airdot.
:::Some things you’ll want to know before you start listning :::
Every episode is named after the location featured and all 4 series include every letter of the alphabet.
Series 1
Abu Dhabi
Boston
Cremona
Douz
Edinburgh
Fitton
Series 2
Helsinki
Gdansk
Ipswich
Johannesburg
Kuala Lumpur
Limerick
Molokai -
Christmas Special
Series 3
Qikiqtarjuarq
Paris
Newcastle
Ottery St. Mary
Rotterdam
St. Petersburg
Series 4
Timbuktu
Uskerty
Vaduz
Wokingham
Xinzhou
Yverdon-les-Bains
Zurich (2 parter)
The Traveling Lemon
It began as a game played in an episode entitled Qikiqtarjuaq. It became a wonderful fan tribute and
way to raise money for charity.
@cabin_pressure The Travelling Lemon, The Brandenburg Gate Berlin, Germany pic.twitter.com/1dDwYJCu — Silke Reddevil (@SilkeReddevil) August 26, 2012
@cabin_pressure here's my photo for #TheTravellingLemon Pulkovo airport, Saint-Petersburg (Pulkovo 1 terminal actually) pic.twitter.com/AehiDJEw — Alexandrina (@surdusabsurdus) June 17, 2012
The crew play a number of games to pass the time:
- Brians Of Britan
Name as many famous people with the name Brian from the UK as you can.
- People Who ought to have been enemies.
Ruby Was +John Wayne / Donna Summer+ Anna Wintour
- People Who Aren’t Evil but who have evil Sounding Names
Davina McCall, Russell Crowe, Calista Flockhart
- Books that sound better without the final letter
Three Men in a Boa, How to be Goo, Of Mice and Me
- Through Customs Rhymes
I came through Customs and all I had to declare was some … (he pauses momentarily) … jelly from New Delhi, a tunic from Munich, some maracas from Caracas and some … cattle from Seattle.
- Rhyming Journeys
Vienna to Siena /Poole to Goole/ Aruba to Cuba
It has a fan site with
every episode fully transcribed
LISTEN TO THE FIRST EPISODE
LISTEN TO THE SECOND EPISODE
Thanks for reading (If you did) you can follow me on Twitter and Instagram. If you're looking for another blog, this guy is good. I also have a proper website here.
Special thanks needs to got to www.cabinpressurefans.co.uk a brilliant resource for fans and indeed anything you want to know about cabin pressure.