C4 and Love Productions recreate Battle of Britain like never before

21 May 2018

 

Churchill called it ‘Our Finest Hour’. Now as part of the RAF’s centenary, the Battle of Britain is going to be brought to life as the nation’s top model airplane pilots gather together to recreate the days that changed history, in a new three=part series Battle of Britain: Model Squadron (w/t).

This summer the skies will be filled with the buzz of model Spitfires and Hurricanes as Britain’s elite modellers recreate dive bombing, aerial encounters and dog fights above the south coast. They will uncover the strategy, tactics and history of those key moments of the summer of 1940 when the future of the country hung in the balance.

They will be joined in this epic endeavour by pilots from Germany - which has one of the biggest model aircraft communities in the world – who are bringing Messerschmitts: Bf 109 and 110, Heinkel 111 and Stuka dive bombers to Britain. The skills of British and German model flyers will be pitted against each other. By unpicking the complexities of the greatest aerial engagements in military history they will shed fresh understanding on the skills of the pilots of 1940.

Taking three iconic days from the Summer of 1940 as inspiration, the model aircraft enthusiasts will push themselves and their miniature flying machines to the limit to commemorate the sacrifices of the past and celebrate the bravery of the ‘few’.

Sara Ramsden, Executive Producer at Love Productions said: ‘The average age of a Battle of Britain pilot in 1940 was 20 years old. I hope we can bring the story of their achievement to a whole new generation of younger TV viewers.  Their stories will be illustrated by the many young modellers of the same age that are coming to take part in this audacious TV experiment.’

Rob Coldstream, Commissioning Editor at Channel 4 said: ‘It’s thrilling to be bringing this iconic and important story back to life for a new generation.  These aircraft are truly spectacular and thanks to innovative camera technology viewers will be able to experience the battle for themselves in a way that’s entirely new.’

 

CREDITS

Series Producer : Carl Hindmarch

Executive Producer: Sara Ramsden

Commissioning Editor: Rob Coldstream