Cabin Pressure

By: John Finnemore

Narrated by: Stephanie Cole, Roger Allam, Benedict Cumberbatch

Length: 2 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

Anyone looking to let off some steam is bound to find something to love in Cabin Pressure. The combination of snappy repartee and brilliant voice-acting makes this a side-achingly funny experience from start to finish.

Stephanie Cole ("Doc Martin"), Benedict Cumberbatch and Roger Allam ("The Thick Of It") star in the complete first series of the hit sitcom about the pilots of a tiny charter airline for whom no job is too small, but many, many jobs are too difficult. Written by John Finnemore, writer for The News Quiz, and That Mitchell & Webb Sound.

Run by the forbidding divorcée Carolyn Knapp-Shappey (an unfortunate marriage, namewise, but in Carolyn's opinion, marginally better than Carolyn Shappey-Knapp), her two pilots are the smooth, experienced and almost-certainly-fired-by-a-big-airline-for-all-round naughtiness Douglas, and struggling almost-competent pilot and sweaty man Martin. All-round help is provided by Carolyn's near-idiot son, Arthur....

©2008 John Finnemore (P)2008 BBC Audiobooks Ltd

Critic reviews

"Unexpectedly brilliant." - (Time Out)

"An inspired new sitcom." - (The Observer)

"The more I listen to John Finnemore's Cabin Pressure, the more I think what a stonking masterpiece it is. Perfect in every department." (Philip Pullman)

Listen to this!!

The entire Cabin Pressure Series is BRILLIANT!!!
A timeless classic that we love and often listen to on commute or road trips. Worth every penny.

Entertaining

Excellent writing, superb performances, amusing situations. perfect diversion for a long drive. would recommend. Benedict Cumberbatch has good comedic timing

Brilliant!

John Finnemore is hilarious. The writing is amazing. The acting has great comedic timing. if you're a Benedict cumberatch fan, you'll listen cause it's him but stay for just how great this radio show is!

Great way to spend the time

This was an excellent way to spend the time on our drive. We would really recommend it

Great acting and scripts

This whole series is funny and entertaining to listen to. Great acting and scripts. Roger Allam and John Finnemore have become favorites of mine, but the other actors were marvelous here. I've listened to the whole thing a few times over the years.

I wanted to be an aeroplane.

What did you love best about Cabin Pressure?

So I downloaded Cabin Pressure from Audible because Benedict Cumberbatch plays the pilot, Martin Crieff, and since Ben's voice is like melted chocolate, I thought it might soothe me to sleep. But YSK: It is REALLY hard to sleep when you're laughing so hard you can't breathe. I listened to all three available seasons last week and then just started right over from the beginning! I've also taken to stalking the BBC Radio 4 website at odd hours of the day/night to catch up with series 4 as it airs.

And as Arthur Shappey would say, "It's brilliant!"

What was one of the most memorable moments of Cabin Pressure?

"Oh, dear. Surely we had two wings when we started?"

Which scene was your favorite?

(bing bong!)

MARTIN: Good afternoon. This is your captain speaking. Just to say there is absolutely nothing to worry about.

(bing bong!)

MARTIN: Hello. Captain Crieff here again. Still no need to panic. I repeat, there is no need to panic. Or to look out of the windows. Everything's fine.

(bing bong!)

MARTIN: Actually, I wasn't being entirely straight with you just now. You see, it's this damnable sleeping sickness of mine. [Yawns.] Normally, I control it with a mysterious stimulant from South America but blast it, my supply's run out. I'm afraid our only hope now is if by some chance someone on board knows how to prepare this stimulant and could—

CAROLYN: Yes, we get the message. Arthur, take Martin his coffee.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed so hard that I forgot how to breathe. Then I died. I am currently listening to CP from the beyond. "What fresh hell is this?"

Any additional comments?

If you don't mind me saying so, that question is entirely against the spirit of surprising rice!

BRILLIANT!

What did you love best about Cabin Pressure?

Engaging and hilarious performances. Very well written, Finnemore fleshes out the characters in quick and natural way. You find yourself really caring about them.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Too hard to choose just one. I love them all.

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

Very engaging, you can visualize the characters the narration is so colorful!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I found myself laughing out loud to this on my commute.

Any additional comments?

This series has a high re-listen value!

Amazing!

Where does Cabin Pressure rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Cabin Pressure is the reason I started to listen to radio dramas.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The actors are so distinct and clear with all their own unique quirks and personalities. I never really realized how much could be conveyed through voice alone until I listened to

Any additional comments?

I'm absolutely in love with this radio drama. The characters are fantastic (as Arthur would say). The stories are hilarious and, at times, heart warming and tragic. Any work that can simultaneously make me laugh out loud and then truly make me feel for a character is well worth listening to. Get Cabin Pressure! You won't regret it.

Cabin Pressure is Brilliant!

Buy this audiobook. Buy it now. Buy it fast. You'll laugh until you're sore in the stomach listening to the adventures of MJN air, Britain's least competent but most endearing airline. This is British radio humour at its very best, and it has Benedict Cumberbatch in the cast (as Captain Martin Crieff)! The entire series is excellent, so don't stop here, but the second and third series and the Christmas special too - there's not a dud episode among them. I cannot wait for more episodes so come, and have listened to these ones many time and they just keep staying funny.

Had me laughing out loud!

What did you love best about Cabin Pressure?

Comedic timing and chemistry were great. Some jokes were really simple and silly, a few were more clever. Plenty of ridiculous situations and schemes. It was almost like a good comedy tv show, just with audio only! Harkened back to ye not-so-old days of radio sitcoms. Some of it was patently British style humor, some was more general. I loved it all! And best of all, I can't think of anything else I've listened to quite like it.

What did you like best about this story?

Lots of fun and laughs, the whole way through! Each episode brought on a new crazy adventure. And the cast was fantastic. Really brightened my afternoon!