Cabin Pressure

Radio sitcom based around a one-plane charter airline. No job is too small, but many jobs are too difficult for pilots Douglas and Martin

Genre: Sitcom
Broadcast: 2008 - 2014
Channel: BBC Radio 4
Episodes: 27 (4 series)
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Roger Allam, Stephanie Cole, John Finnemore and Anthony Head
Writer: John Finnemore
Producer: David Tyler

Set in a small airline business, Cabin Pressure is a comedy about the wing and a prayer world of a tiny, one-plane charter airline staffed by two pilots - one on his way down, and one who was never up to start with. Whether they're flying squaddies to Hamburg, metal sheets to Mozambique, transporting lads on a stag night or shifting a panther for the odd oil sheik, no job is too small - but many jobs prove to be too difficult - for MJN Air!

The airline is run by forbidding divorcee Carolyn Knapp-Shappey who, at last, in her mid-60s, is free of her awful husband, but pleasingly not free of his private jet. Her two pilots are the smooth, experienced and almost certainly fired-by-a-big-airline-for-all-round-naughtiness Douglas, and the struggling, almost competent sweaty young captain Martin. General help is provided by Carolyn's dim-witted son Arthur.

Production Details

Production company

Pozzitive Productions

Also known as

Jet Lag (Working title)
Cabin Pressure At Christmas

Soundtrack

Theme tune is the overture from Ruslan and Lyudmila by Mikhail Glinka.

Laugh track

Live audience

Broadcast details

First broadcast: Wednesday 2nd July 2008 on BBC Radio 4 at 11:30am
Last new broadcast: Wednesday 24th December 2014 on BBC Radio 4 at 6:30pm
Length of episodes: 30 minutes
Last repeat: Saturday 15th August 2020 at 5:30am on Radio 4 Extra

Website links

TV Tropes
A look at some of the recurring jokes and plot elements in the series.
Pozzitive Productions
A webpage for the show from the production company. Features a link to purchase the episodes.
John Finnemore's Website
The website of John Finnemore, the writer and star of Cabin Pressure.
Radio 4 Homepage
The homepage for the comedy on the Radio 4 website.
Cabin Pressure Fansite
A detailed and lovingly created fansite about the show. Featuring details on the show, fan art, polls and more.