Come Fly with Me

‘Little Britain’ stars Matt Lucas and David Walliams have teamed up again for Come Fly With Me,which covers various facets of the air travel industry from the perspective of three fictional airlines,FlyLo,a low-cost airline,Our Lady Air,an Irish low-cost airline and Great British Air,a major international British airline.

Narrator Lindsay Duncan’s flat tone had this reviewer convinced that Come Fly With Me was a serious series dealing with air travel issues until Lucas and Walliams show up in funny costumes as ticket check-in attendants trying to sell discount coupons to an aged lady passenger. The duo,dressed in garish clothes and outrageous make-up,conduct a conversation over the tickets from across the counter,while the poor lady looks on aghast.

At another point,the chief customer care officer makes genial conversation with a lady passenger but is unable to tell her that her dog was killed in a freak mishap. He eventually manages to convey the bad news from outside the plane just as it is about to take off. Security checks,cabin crew pressures etc are some of the other topics that become the butt of Lucas and Walliams jokes.

The series follows the mockumentary format,always great for inducing laughs. There is nothing like the character telling you something and doing something completely opposite. Come Fly With Me is also unique because Lucas and Walliams play most of the characters from the airline roster themselves.

Thus,at different points,Walliams is Omar Baba,the owner of FlyLo,Moses Beacon,the executive passenger liaison officer for Great British Air,Ian Foot,the airport’s chief immigration officer as well as Melody Bains,the check-in staff member mentioned previously. Similarly,Lucas plays different characters as well, complimenting Walliams to the hilt.

For fans of The Office and Little Britain,Come Fly With Me keeps the tradition of British humour intact and delivers a knockout show in the process. The airline industry,which has seen most of the churn in the post 9/11 world,deserves to have some of its uglier aspects ripped as well as give airline and airport managers something to think about behind all the grey humour. The show delivers on both counts. Every person who has ever flown in an airline will identify with at least one episodic segment of the show. And therein,lies the show’s success.

Verdict: ****

Superb British humour makes this a must-watch.