Cabin Pressure (radio series)
Cover of the complete CD collection of Cabin Pressure, depicting cast. Left-to-right: John Finnemore, Roger Allam, Stephanie Cole and Benedict Cumberbatch.
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| Genre | Comedy |
|---|---|
| Running time | 28 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language(s) | English |
| Home station | BBC Radio 4 |
| Starring |
Stephanie Cole Roger Allam Benedict Cumberbatch John Finnemore |
| Written by | John Finnemore |
| Directed by | David Tyler |
| Produced by | David Tyler |
| Recording studio | RADA Studios |
| Air dates | 2 July 2008 to 24 December 2014 |
| No. of series | 4 (plus Christmas special and a two part finale) |
| No. of episodes | 27 |
| Audio format | Stereophonic sound |
| Opening theme | Ruslan and Lyudmila overture by Mikhail Glinka |
Cabin Pressure is a radio sitcom written and created by John Finnemore and directed and produced by David Tyler. It follows the exploits of the eccentric 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 Finnemore, Stephanie Cole, Roger Allam and Benedict Cumberbatch. The series was first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2008.
Critical reception to the series was positive and four series have been broadcast, along with a special 2010 Christmas Day episode. The fourth series consisting of six episodes was broadcast in January and February 2013. The show's finale, entitled "Zurich", was broadcast as a two-part special on 23 and 24 December 2014. The series' opening music is Mikhail Glinka's Overture to Ruslan and Lyudmila.
The story takes place at MJN Air, the world's smallest airline, consisting of just one 16-seater plane: a "Lockheed McDonnell 312", registration Golf Echo Romeo Tango India (G-ERTI), and thus nicknamed "Gerti". The company name derives from when owner Carolyn Knapp-Shappey (Stephanie Cole) was awarded Gerti as part of her divorce settlement with her awful Australian husband Gordon Shappey (Timothy West) and thus proudly proclaimed that Gerti was: "My Jet Now". The company is so small, with Carolyn joking that rather than an airline MJN is more of an "airdot", that everything is run on a tight budget and they are willing to take on any job to keep the business going. The company is based in the fictional Fitton Airport, located somewhere in the Midlands.
Each episode is named after a different city (often a destination for MJN in the episode) each beginning with successive letters of the alphabet. The episodes were not broadcast in alphabetical order, but The Complete Cabin Pressure: From A to Z collection does play the episodes alphabetically.
The story follows the day-to-day working life of MJN Air and its crew of four: Carolyn (Stephanie Cole), the owner and stewardess; First Officer Douglas Richardson (Roger Allam), an experienced pilot formerly at Air England until he was sacked for smuggling; Captain Martin Crieff (Benedict Cumberbatch), the chief pilot whose love of flying and planes is let down by his lack of natural ability; and Arthur Shappey (John Finnemore), Carolyn's overexcited and idiotic son who works as a steward.
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