Sir David Jason meets the BBMF
 

DJ arrives at the BBMF HQ and is met by the OC: “Welcome Sir David, I’m Sqn Ldr Discombe and this is my Senior Engineering Officer, Mandy”.

Are one of those that has to highlight when someone doesn't say exactly the right thing? Do you do it to highlight yourself, virtue signalling I think they call it?

Really? Who gives a stuff? Get a life.

Hear hear.

Sorry, straight over my head.

Well you guys say that as two (and I admit am making a presumption) chaps of a certain generation but my wife - who is by no means a zealot in these matters - was watching and picked up on it straight away, and made a quite amusing comment about them not just maintaining the aircraft but keeping it authentic by retaining the 1940s attitude to women!

My nostrils also twitched when I heard the introduction mentioned by the OP.

However ... a decent programme, with Sir David letting BBMF tell the story instead of putting himself centre stage.

Quite, and also using a professional airborne camera set-up to get some very good in flight film of the Spitfire and Hurricane. Would have liked to see some similar film of the Lancaster as well though.....

It may be just me but was this a reference to Round the Horne 'I 'm Julian and this my friend Sandy' Maybe they're now the Bona of Britain Flight. Hat, coat etc.....

Good prog I thought. So where / when was the “Dowding “ display performed to the public?

I’m Mandy...... fly me.

I rather missed the point of the Dowding formation, centred as it was around the Lancaster. I wonder why the BBMF doesn't call it the Harris formation, now why wouldn't they do that? :E

In reality I suppose it was to put the Hurricane front and centre, being as there is only one of them and to put it at the rear would cause much muttering amongst the natives. It creates a real problem for the Lanc pilot of course, formating on a much smaller aircraft in front of him. I suspect the Lanc is rather more responsive than the Hastings was but even so, well done indeed!

Was there some Reds thing about the display wear? AoC attends final display rehearsal, gives the go ahead, team reassembles in black (as against red) flying suits etc. Is that SOP now for RAF display teams? Is it because these final fly offs are invariably now on a TV programme and form part of the cliff hanger moments required of the media? Will the AoC give the go ahead? Will the team get to wear their red/black flying suits (omit as reqd), will Flash rescue Dale from the clutches of the Merciless Ming?

Oh, good prog BTW, well done Trotter!

Well he would say that wouldn't he? :p

Which programme was this and is it to be repeated?

Flying for Britain with David Jason

Catch up on the ITV Hub

Marking the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, this documentary follows national treasure David Jason as he meets the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.

I thought it a good programme too, but would have preferred to have seen more of the Lancaster as well; especially the inside. The Great British Public is highly uneducated on the conditions pertaining inside a Brit Heavy Bomber of WWII vintage and this was a missed opportunity to demonstrate the conditions the Bomber Boys had to endure; the other thing is that SWC's "Never in the field of human conflict" speech was equally directed at Bomber Command crews as well, so yesterday's transmission on BoB day was entirely appropriate.

What happened to Men A, B and C?

Thank you Spekesoftly!

You are very welcome. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

I watched both programmes last night and expected the Beeb one with the McGregor brothers to be better, but then realised it was a repeat (and was also shortened from the original I think).

Good to see Sir David doing this (and not making it all about him) being that he is a RIAT ambassador and all that (visiting over many years in his R44 as I recall)

Tenuous link - I also remember being part of the team that helped to send the Trotters Reliant Robin to the sandpit from Brize post-GW1!

Disco did a very good job. Came across very well. Hasn’t changed whatsoever in the 31 years I’ve known him.

I would say the focus was deliberately away from the Lanc, as it’s all about the Battle of Britain and the anniversary.
Had seen the McGregor one before so avoided it as it felt like a self promotion.

The programme I watched was the first of the new HS2 archeology series, fascinating digging up 60000 Victorian graves with the wooden coffins Surving and the plates too so you knew who they were.