Heres what Kenny Everit has to say about it - for those who dont read their emails and those who are non-nats
The Day Britain Stopped - Message for All Staff
You may well have seen trailers for, or read about, a forthcoming BBC
television programme called "The Day Britain Stopped", to be broadcast on
Tuesday 13 May at 9pm on BBC 2.
The programme, which calls itself a drama-documentary, is intended to
highlight lack of investment in Britain's transport infrastructure. It uses
a fictional scenario in which a national rail strike leads to gridlock on
the M25 and surrounding areas. Air traffic controllers are unable to get to
work and those that are there, stay on. Due to an error by a controller in
these difficult circumstances, a mid-air collision occurs near Heathrow,
with severe loss of life in the air and on the ground.
NATS has repeatedly explained to the programme makers the procedures and
failsafe mechanisms that are in place to prevent exactly the sort of
incident portrayed, but they have been reluctant to talk with us and we are
very concerned that the programme fails to meet its obligations to be
factually accurate. Consequently, it is likely to affect our reputation. Our
concerns are shared by the airlines, unions, BAA, CAA and the Department for
Transport.
Despite repeated requests, we have not yet been able to obtain a tape or
script of the programme. This is most unsatisfactory and also, I believe,
unfair. I have taken our concerns directly to Gavyn Davies, the Chairman of
the BBC Board of Governors, and as a result, we hope - even at this late
stage - to be able to view the programme and comment on it before
transmission.
The programme is already generating public interest so can I ask you, as
always, to refer any media calls you may receive to the Press Office at One
Kemble Street.
Please be assured that NATS is doing everything it can to ensure that our
concerns are properly examined before the programme is broadcast. I will
keep you informed of developments.
RICHARD EVERITT
Chief Executive