Wings (BBC TV series)
| Wings | |
|---|---|
Wings Title Card Series 2
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| Genre | Drama |
| Created by | Barry Thomas |
| Written by | Barry Thomas Julian Bond Arden Winch |
| Directed by |
Jim Goddard Gareth Davies Donald McWhinnie Desmond Davis |
| Starring |
Tim Woodward Michael Cochrane Nicholas Jones John Hallam David Troughton Sarah Porter |
| Theme music composer | Alexander Faris |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 25 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Peter Cregeen |
| Running time | 50 Minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original release | 2 January 1977 – 30 March 1978 |
Wings is a drama series about the Royal Flying Corps that ran on BBC television from 1977 to 1978. It stars Tim Woodward as Alan Farmer, a young blacksmith turned fighter pilot in World War I.
Nicholas Jones played his teacher and mentor, Captain Triggers, and Michael Cochrane played his upper-class friend, Charles Gaylion, who began a relationship with Farmer's girlfriend while Farmer was believed dead, shot down over France.
The series reveals that the British pilots are struggling with aeroplanes which are both unreliable and inferior to the German machines, and with an Establishment that classes voicing an opinion to that effect as being tantamount to cowardice. The airmen must also face the resentment of British soldiers who see them having an ‘easy' life. The rigidity of the British class structure is highlighted when Farmer becomes an officer in the second series - he faces resentment both from some COs because of his class and NCOs because of his new rank. The series takes great care with historical accuracy, covering the early days of the parachute, the fitting of weaponry to British biplanes (lacking the Germans’ interruptor gear, they had to be fired at an angle rather than through the propellers) and the horrors of trench warfare. Wings depicts a Britain that is, in some areas, struggling to adapt in the face of change, at a period that was a turning point for many people’s way of life.
The series was created by Barry Thomas. Twenty-five episodes were made in all.
The book BBC VFX (Mat Irvine and Mike Tucker) states that few First World War aircraft were still airworthy at the time of production so the majority of flying shots were achieved with 1/6 scale radio-controlled models under the guidance of long-time model aircraft expert David Boddington alongside Derek Piggott and Tony Bianchi. Piggott served as a stunt pilot during the filming of the 1966 movie The Blue Max.
Actors who played small parts in the series and later became well known in bigger roles included Anthony Andrews, Simon Cadell, Jane Lapotaire and Tim Pigott-Smith.
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