Cabin Pressure: A-Z: The BBC Radio 4 Airline Sitcom

Love this show! So great! Listen to the in order to really enjoy the character development. Pretty clean! It has some language/profanity, but is never inappropriate or uncomfortable. I laugh out loud several times each episode. Love it!!

The cast, the writing, the production all make for classic and hilarious British humor.

I had already listened online but it was a treat to have the actual CD plus the bonus interviews were interesting. Uploaded onto my computer so I can listen any time and laugh and cringe with my favourite MJN crew!

I'd barely even heard of this before I bought it. To be honest, I got it because it has Benedict Cumberbatch in it and everyone raved about it. After all 26 episodes, although I do love Martin I have to say my favorite characters are Author and Theresa. There are parts where I am in tears laughing. It's now my go to set to listen to on long trips. I even got my son into it and of course we now play Yellow Car on those same road trips. If you're on the fence, don't think, but press the order key and buy it. You won't regret it.

There are not enough good words in the dictionary to adequately describe the delight I derive from this series. (No, not even "fizz," "buzz," or "have a banana.") I am absurdly excited to own it at last, rather than having to wait for BBC Radio 4 to broadcast back episodes a few times a year. The complete set of 14 CDs does, indeed, contain each and every episode (Christmas special and 2-part "Zurich" finale included), and the bonus booklet/audio interview with John Finnemore are useful and so much fun. If you're already a fan: this set is just about everything you'd wish it to be. If you're a newcomer to MJN Air and its magnificent men (and woman) in their flying machines: do not hesitate. Buy this series immediately. It's fifty bucks of pure joy.

Just an audio sitcom about a small charter airline? No, much more! It is distinguished by actors and lines that were made to fit together. The backstory and details within the dialog are better than the main plots. Although the episodes are entertaining individually, listening to the whole series answers all the questions that might arise in the listener's mind. The short booklet that accompanies this packaging is crammed full of photographic and sketchbook notes that shows and shares the author's (who plays Arthur) character development as entertainment. If you like the American sitcom Wings or the classic British sitcoms from two decades ago, you will surely like this series. Otherwise, try to obtain a sample first.

This is an ensemble cast reading a script for radio. It is funny, irreverent, with a great deal of care and concern. There is a tiny bit of violence (one minor character dies under "unusual" circumstances, and the sexual content is innuendo only. Each of the four main cast members are excellent at bringing out the best in each other, and play off each other well. I got the recording as a DVD set. It is a pleasure to listen to while sitting in Los Angeles freeway traffic, as I can just picture the situations the characters get themselves into.

Cabin Pressure is one of those fantastic things that are unexpectedly brilliant. The early episodes are a little rougher, but the show quickly finds its pacing. It's one of those shows that wiggle into your life and become a major favorite. I dearly love John Finnemore's work. This show inspired me to check out some of his other stuff, which is all great--I really recommend Souvenir Programme. It also le me to start looking at other audio presentations, leading me to start listening to audiobooks and podcasts, which I had never really given a try until cabin pressure taught me that audio can be so fun.

The population can, I think, be divided into three groups: those who have listened to Cabin Pressure, all of whom should love it; those who have not listened to it, all of whom would love it if they heard it; and the clinically insane. Putting it simply, it is the funniest radio comedy I've ever heard. Actually, it's perhaps the funniest comedy ever full stop, whether on TV or radio. It is, as Arthur would say, brilliant.For the uninitiated, the series is about the staff and crew of MJN Air, a single-plane airline (if a company with a single aeroplane can be an airline - in the words of Carolyn, the company's owner, having one plane makes it an air-dot), and the adventures they have on their travels. It stars Roger Allam, Benedict Cumberbatch, Stephanie Cole and the show's writer, the absurdly talented John Finnemore, as well as having recurring characters played by Timothy West, Anthony Head and Matilda Ziegler.The best thing about the programme is that it contains genuine family humour. No bad taste, no swearing, just a series of escapades in which the cast do their best. Stephanie Cole plays Carolyn, the company's owner; Benedict Cumberbatch the captain, Martin, a case study in somebody lacking in self-confidence and trying to find belief in themselves; Roger Allam is the smooth-talking first officer and seasoned sky-god Douglas, galled at having Martin as his supreme commander, and Arthur, the dim-witted but eternally optimistic and cheerful Arthur, who acts as cabin crew on flights and describes just about everything as being "Brilliant!", in a throwback to the Paul Whitehouse character in The Fast Show who did similarly. Across the twenty-seven episodes, each of which starts with a different letter of the alphabet (from Abu Dhabi to the two-part finale Zurich) the crew get into all sorts of scrapes, fight to keep the airline going, and, inevitably become friends. There's also a long-term story arc culminating in Zurich, where one gets to find out if the cast live happily ever after.Putting it simply, there is not a bad episode. Whether divebombing polar bears in Qikiqtarjuaq, dealing with the death of a passenger in Boston, transporting a stuffed sheep across Ireland in Uskerty, dealing with what's seemingly the end for MJN following an accident in St Petersburg, playing Yellow Car and working out how many otters you could fit on a plane in Ottery St Mary, or trying to outwit Carolyn's former husband and previous owner of Gerti, their plane, there's non-stop hilarity. It says it all that this is essential listening for our entire family when on car journeys - myself, my wife and children all love it equally - so much so that we've named our two cats Martin and Douglas after the lead characters.The Complete A to Z, as already mentioned, contains all 27 episodes of the programme, coming in at some 14 hours in length. They are split across 14 CDs; they come in a large plastic CD case about an inch thick, with the CDs inside on a single spindle. This makes it slightly awkward to take CDs in and out (ie if you want to play the bottom one, you have to remove all 13 CDs stacked on top of it in order to get it out), but it would be hard to present such a large box-set in any other way.The primary consideration for me when buying this, and I suspect for other Cabin Pressure fans who may already own some or all of the series on CD, were the extras. Prior to purchase I couldn't find any mention of what these extras were, even on John Finnemore's blog, so it's perhaps useful if I list these.Firstly, there is a 32-page colour booklet, which contains a précis of each episode, as well as photos of scripts, John Finnemore's book in which he planned episodes, and fictional diaries from the crew members. There's also a list of the wordgames played by Martin and Douglas as they while away the time on long flights, a list of episode ideas that weren't ever used, and a handy hand-drawn plan of Gerti's interior layout. Gerti's the plane, in case I haven't made that clear. There's also some photos from the recording of the final two-parter, Zurich, which had the most ticket requests for any BBC comedy recording ever.As well as the booklet, the final CD contains half-an-hour or so of audio extras, which consists of an interview with John Finnemore, and some deleted scenes that never made it into the program itself. The interview and deleted scenes are a great insight into the creation of the show, and one can only wish that there was more to come. However Mr Finnemore has made it clear that there will be no more - not just because it must now be difficult to find a gap in Benedict Cumberbatch's schedule to record episodes, but because the 27 episodes stand in their own right, and reach a natural conclusion.If you've never listened to Cabin Pressure, or only heard some episodes, this is a great opportunity to get the entire caboodle in one go - and you should do, as you'll laugh your socks off. If you're a Cabin Pressure addict, then it's also wonderful to get everything in one nice package. The extras are well worth reading and listening to, providing an extra dimension to what goes on behind the scenes. In short, I can't recommend this enough. If I could give it ten stars then I would, but unfortunately Amazon's rating system only goes up to five. Amongst Cabin Pressure fans it must be a huge cliché to say this, but it is quite simply brilliant!

Living in Australia, I first came across Cabin Pressure S1 as an audio download. These are things I usually listen to while I'm travelling. I quickly learned that it's not possible to listen to any of this wonderful show in public without making an embarrassing spectacle of yourself by laughing hysterically at something no one else can hear.The A-Z collection I listened to in my car driving to and from work. It made commuting a pure pleasure. The only downside was the strange looks I got from people who were unfortunate enough to pull up next to me at traffic lights, who clearly thought I was losing it. I was. Over and over I succumbed to helpless laughter.It was wonderful. All the performances are wonderful, and listening to the whole collection, the consistency of the writing is even more impressive. The inventiveness involved in the endless games they play on board - from the "Travelling Lemon" game to "Brians of Britain" alone deserves accolades.Can't recommend it highly enough.Personal highlights for me were the "toffee bomb" incident, the unfortunate passenger who succumbed to death by fire extinguisher, and Caroline's battles with the paranoid bassoon player.

Cabin Pressure is one of the funniest - and possibly THE funniest - sit-com I have ever come across. All of its 27 episodes are gems - funny, clever, sometimes moving. The acting is never less than top notch. The timing is impeccable. It makes me laugh out loud from beginning to end. Set in a small charter airline with just one plane, in each episode the characters fly to a different location and face a different challenge. Whether it's flying a cat in a hold they forget to heat, getting into arguments with an air traffic controller in a remote desert airport, or pushing a piano along Devon lanes, there is no situation that does not go hilariously wrong for the team.The show is written by John Finnemore, a little known comedian outside of Radio 4, which is a shame as he is a comic genius. He also plays the relentlessly cheerful but dimwitted air steward, Arthur. He is the son of the company's owner, Carolyn, who got the plane in her divorce settlement. Always on a shoestring budget, she hired the two most affordable pilots she could find: Captain Martin, newly qualified and covering up his lack of confidence with prissiness and pomposity; and First Officer Douglas, a stereotypically posh and arrogant former captain who was fired from a prestigious airline for smuggling silk kimonos. These four diverse characters interact brilliantly throughout the show, and across the 27 episodes they gradually become friends.The acting is second to none. Benedict Cumberbatch is perhaps the best known star, but my favourite is veteran actor Roger Allam whose voice is so lovely I'd happily listen to him read out the phone book. Stephanie Cole has perfect timing and inflection as Carolyn. The supporting cast is full of top names such as Timothy West, Anthony Head, Prunella Scales, Alison Steadman and Helen Baxendale. Actors as famous as these can afford to pick and chose their work - so their participation in relatively small roles in a radio sitcom therefore demonstrate just what high quality listening Cabin Pressure is.As a slightly nervous flier, I'd resisted listening to this show despite having heard the rave reviews of others, as I was worried it would worsen the problem. But in actual fact, I've found it has helped reduce my fear of flying. It makes flying seem normal and routine (it's the passengers, cargo, and situations they find themselves in that are anything but!). The pilots are competent and there is only one 'incident' in the whole series - and that is dealt with professionally by the two pilots who land the plane safely. So bizarrely it's actually made me a lot less scared about flying. Finnemore explains in the interview on this CD that he always wanted the show to be about a safe airline.This CD boxset - not a type of product I'd ever expected I'd buy again in the digital age to be honest - contains 14 CDs. All 27 episodes are here, two to CD, and there is also an interview with John Finnemore which includes outtakes from some of the episodes, deleted scenes and the prologue introductions to the four main characters - not heard before. It's this bonus material that is not available anywhere else that made me buy this, and not simply download the episodes. There's also a CD booklet with images from John Finnemore's notebooks, examples of unused episode ideas, and some excerpts from the notebooks of the characters which are quite funny.For fans of the show, particularly if you don't already own the episodes in another format, it's worth getting this for the bonus material. If you already own some of the episodes it may be less financially sensible, although I suspect I'd still have bought it if I'd been in that position, because I like the show that much. If you're not a fan of the show i.e. you've not heard it yet, you might as well buy it in this format. It would make a great present for someone, especially those always hard to buy for male relatives!Do make sure that whatever you play the episodes on doesn't leave a gap between tracks - otherwise it can make the show disjointed with strange breaks right in the middle of lines. You can usually alter the settings on a device to remove the gap between tracks. All the CDs are on one spindle in the box, so you have to lift them all off to find the one you want, which is a bit annoying. Those are the only downsides I can find.In summary, if you love the show, buy it. If you don't love the show, buy it and you will love it!

Probably the best ever (in my opinion) radio situation comedy. It's pretty much perfect in every way. Neatly running from A to Z (each episode is named after a destination), superbly written and performed. I've played the entire series about five times now and still laugh aloud each time. I struggle to pick a favourite episode because they are all so strong. Not a word of dialogue is wasted. Seriously, if you've not listened to it then you are missing out.Heavily-braided hats off to Tom Goodman-Hill who stands in for Benedict Cumberbatch on one episode too.Anyone else spot the nods to Fawlty Towers???Treat yourself or a friend.Yellow car.

If you have not previously come across the work of John Finnemore then I envy you because you are about to be astonished as some of the best comedy writing - and performing - ever.That is no exaggeration. This is an breath-taking tour de force of a genius writer. Not only is there no weak episode, there is no weak part of any episode. Each is constructed like a work of art, with deft plot touches that are sometimes resolved in the episode, sometimes later. Some you may even miss until the third or fourth listen. Even the booklet that comes with it is a minor masterpiece with throwbacks to events in the series, but the hunt for the lemons (the significance of lemons you will learn from listening. And yellow cars. And otters).The cast is staggeringly good too. Benedict Cumberbatch was an unknown at the start, but by the end world famous... but still insisted on coming back to finish it.While the accuracy of some sporting and geopolitical content is a little flaky, Finnemore's father was a pilot and all the aviation stuff is all the more hilarious because it is plausible. It could all happen - and indeed, if newspaper stories are right, some of it has.But the main thing is you can listen again and again and it remains funny on the fifth or even tenth time through.This is complete comedy perfection.