British Airways has given its new in flight safety film a celebrity sheen, with popular British stars including Sir Ian McKellan, Gillian Anderson, Rowan Atkinson, Gordon Ramsay and Warwick Davis featuring in the latest on-board clip. The airline is also hoping to raise money for good causes though the video, through its Flying Start initiative, which it operates in partnership with the British charity Comic Relief.
The clip features the stars auditioning to appear in the video in front of its 'director', Asim Chaudhry's comedy character Chabuddy G. Highlights include the dulcet tones of McKellan describing how to operate oxygen masks, and informing passengers that wizard pipes are not permitted, Gordon Ramsay letting slip an uncharacteristic “darling” when he is mistakenly given Joanna Lumley's lines and Rowan Atkinson in a typically Atkinsonesque bout of physical comedy as he fumbles for loose change to put in the Flying Start charity envelope.
Alex Cruz, British Airways' chairman and CEO, said: "It's extremely important to us that customers engage with our safety video, and involving some of the nation's most well-known personalities has given us the chance to create something fun that we hope people will watch from start to finish - and remember."
If even all that star power isn't enough to make you want to sit through yet another seven-minute in-flight safety film, albeit a more-entertaining then usual one, when you're not even on a plane, BA have helpfully put together a shorter making of and bloopers video – check it out below.
Onboard safety video
