Cabin Pressure. Image shows from L to R: Arthur (John Finnemore), Douglas (Roger Allam), Carolyn (Stephanie Cole), Martin (Benedict Cumberbatch). Copyright: Pozzitive Productions
Cabin Pressure

Cabin Pressure

  • Radio sitcom
  • BBC Radio 4
  • 2008 - 2014
  • 27 episodes (4 series)

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. Stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Roger Allam, Stephanie Cole, John Finnemore and Anthony Head

Episode menu

Series 2, Episode 5 - Kuala Lumpur

A week on standby at the airfield gives Arthur an opportunity to brush up on his stewarding skills, while Douglas seems to have disappeared. And why is everyone terrified of Dirk the groundsman?

Preview clips

Notes

Trivia from John Finnemore's blog

Broadcast details

Date
Friday 14th August 2009
Time
11:30am
Channel
BBC Radio 4
Length
30 minutes

Repeats

Show past repeats

Date Time Channel
Tuesday 24th August 2010 6:30pm Radio 4
Thursday 5th May 2011 5:30pm Radio 4 Extra
Monday 21st May 2012 9:30am Radio 4 Extra
Tuesday 22nd May 2012 2:30am Radio 4 Extra
Sunday 8th December 2013 7:30am Radio 4 Extra
Sunday 8th December 2013 10:00pm Radio 4 Extra
Sunday 28th May 2017 11:00pm Radio 4 Extra
Sunday 21st April 2019 11:00pm Radio 4 Extra
Sunday 2nd August 2020 7:15pm Radio 4
Friday 7th August 2020 7:30am Radio 4 Extra
Friday 7th August 2020 5:30pm Radio 4 Extra
Friday 7th August 2020 10:00pm Radio 4 Extra
Saturday 8th August 2020 5:30am Radio 4 Extra
Tuesday 24th January 2023 10:30pm Radio 4 Extra

Cast & crew

Cast
Benedict Cumberbatch Martin
Roger Allam Douglas
Stephanie Cole Carolyn
John Finnemore Arthur
Guest cast
Paul Putner Dave (Mechanic)
Roger Morlidge George (Mechanic)
Writing team
John Finnemore Writer
Production team
David Tyler Producer

Video

Episode 2.5 Preview - Arthur's Training Session

A week on standby at the airfield gives Arthur an opportunity to brush up on his stewarding skills.

Featuring: Stephanie Cole (Carolyn) & John Finnemore (Arthur).

Press

Only on radio, where the listener brings the scenery, can a comedy about a small airline take off so successfully. (I'm a devoted fan of that ultra-camp TV show The High Life, but it only had one series.) This has the setting and characters from which classic sitcoms are built: a struggling business, a canny but inexperienced proprietor (Stephanie Cole), her wily chief pilot (Roger Allam), his ambitious young rival (Benedict Cumberbatch) and the good-hearted but daft son of the boss (John Finnemore, who's also the writer). It's really funny.

Gillian Reynolds, The Telegraph, 14th August 2009

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