British Airways has created a new inflight safety video titled ‘A British Original Period Drama’, inspired by the nation’s period literature, TV and film, and starring more than 40 of the airline’s staff, from pilots and cabin crew, to engineers and airport colleagues.
The airline says it has brought out the new film to keep customers engaged with the important safety messages, and decided that the popularity of British dramas in the UK and overseas would catch the attention of a global audience.
The film depicts ladies and lords of the manor in grand British country estates including Hatfield House and Englefield House Estate, as well as housekeepers and butlers going about their everyday lives in period Britain, before being interrupted by present-day British Airways colleagues demonstrating the safety briefing.
At one point in the film, a 19th century socialite marvels at a moving picture, more commonly known in the 21st century as a laptop, before being reminded to store personal electronic devices before take-off.
The characters continue to be bewildered by modern day contraptions, and when posed with the question “Is it a winged creature of the air or, perchance, a celestial contrivance navigating the skies?” Ellis Brett, an Apprentice in Aircraft Maintenance, responds with “No, ma’am. That’s a British Airways A350.”
Sharon Maguire, most widely known for her work on Bridget Jones’s Diary and Bridget Jones’s Baby, was chosen to direct the five-minute video because of her ability to demonstrate British comedy in a way that would engage with the airline’s global customers.
Helen Lau, a British Airways First Officer who plays herself, said: “As a First Officer, my job means I am in the flight deck during the safety briefing, so to know that I will be appearing on the video in the cabins feels very surreal. I love the closing line which says stay safe, look after one another and never change, which featured in the previous video, and I hope is carried onto the next. It’s such a touching and uniting phrase.”
