Cabin Pressure Series 1 (BBC Audio) [Audiobook] [Audio CD]

I can't think when I last enjoyed a radio comedy as much as Cabin Pressure. The characters are nicely judged and the continuous battle between Captain Martin Crieff and first officer Douglas Richardson is a particular source of entertainment. Written by John Finnemore, who plays delightfully dumb Arthur Shappey, it is set in the world of a 1 plane charter airline which is forever one step ahead of bankruptcy. You wouldn't think that much could be made of that premise, but I can honestly say there isn't a bad episode in the three series thus far.

However, I can't recommend buying it from Audibles. Unlike some I don't object to the DRM protection. However, I do object to having all six episodes lumped in to a single file. I tried burning it to a CD and ended up with track breaks in random places that had nothing to do with the actual episodes. I ended up purchasing from AudioGo for less money with no DRM and it was provided as six tracks, 1 episode per track. So Audibles won't be getting any more of my business.

This is a comedy first aired on BBC Radio 4 about the trials and tribulations of charter outfit MJN Airways. With a single aircraft, and economically forced to take various unappetising charters, the resulting encounters with criminal ground crew, insane regulations and unsavoury passengers provide the basis for the 30 minute episodes (6 on 3 discs in this first series).

That introduction may not appeal, but it is the quality of the acting and writing that sets this apart as one to enjoy. Stephanie Cole is on wonderfully acerbic form as the proprietor Carolyn who carries on (almost) regardless having obtained the aircraft in her divorce settlement. She is gifted some great lines, delivered in pompous matriarch style ("we are not an airline - you cannot put one plane in a line - we are an air-dot"). Matching her is Roger Allam as Douglas, the co-pilot with years of experience, an Arthur Daley approach to rules and regulations, and Olympic medals in sarcasm and sardonic one liners. The tone and timing of Allam's put downs is superb.

Pitted against Carolyn (and generally against Douglas) is one of the worlds least experienced captains, Martin, who took seven attempts to qualify as a pilot, but remains senior to Douglas for reasons undisclosed. Benedict Cumberbatch (of "Sherlock" fame) plays a great second string role here as the naive idealist trying to punch above his weight and getting mercilessly put down by Carolyn and Douglas.

The fourth regular cast member is Arthur, Carolyn's idiot son, who is the cabin staff because he cannot be trusted with anything else, and who is played by John Finnemore. Arthur's childlike simplicity is also the root of some great comedic dialogue: after a running question through one episode where Arthur wants to know how planes fly, and Douglas and Martin have various generally inept or obscure attempts at explaining it, culminating in the explanation that it is due to the shape of the wings, the simple (and perfectly timed) question "so is that why planes can't fly upside down" from Arthur goes some way to explaining why parents shout at their children.

Despite playing the idiot, John Finnemore (as the writer) has created a hugely enjoyable series, with some extremely clever plotting to both drop the cast in, and rescue them from, some bizarre but all too plausible situations.

This doesn't get the full five stars because Cole and Cumberbatch's characters don't properly develop until the later episodes (and Series 2 is even better). However, if you like sharp, sardonic wit (think "Porridge" between Fletcher and McKay) this will be for you.

This series is absolutely fantastic. Get it. Get it now. Just don't get it via Audible!
I don't mind the DRM (though it is irritating) but I was expecting at least to download each episode as a separate file. Instead I have one long track of nearly 3 hours. It is unwieldy to say the least.