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"The boy stood on the burning deck, whence all but he had fled. His heart was in his mouth but, lo! His cap was on his head!"
―Douglas and Carolyn

Fitton is the sixth and last episode of the first series of the BBC's Cabin Pressure, which was first broadcast on August 6, 2008.

Synopsis[]

Official synopsis for the episode Fitton:[1]

The crew are grounded, so Arthur shows the crew why apples are the secret of happiness and Martin shows Carolyn how to be an Air Hostess.

Plot[]

MJN are on standby at Fitton, waiting for a client who is doubtful to call, so they pass the time with word games and conversation. While talking about partners, Douglas explains why he has bought his wife a bottle of brown sauce as an anniversary present.

Carolyn takes a call from her ex-husband Gordon, who wants to buy Gerti, and all of MJN's debts, for £1. She asks for Arthur's opinion, as he may one day inherit these debts, but he says that there's nothing he'd rather do with the money than continue with MJN.

Carolyn decides that their client, Mr. Goddard, won't show up, and allows them to open the drinks cabinet. Several drinks later, Goddard calls. Douglas saves them having to cancel by revealing that not only is he not drunk (having disguised his water as vodka), but that he has been teetotal for eight years. Because Goddard expects two pilots, Arthur (sober because he prefers pineapple juice) swaps positions with Martin. Drunk, Martin and Carolyn arouse Goddard's suspicion but Douglas and Arthur are able to reassure him enough to make the flight.

After returning home, Martin stops by Douglas' house to deliver his bottle of brown sauce, which he forgot on the plane, and discovers that Douglas pretends to be a captain in front of his wife.

Cast[]

Trivia[]

When making fun of Martin's Standard Operating Procedures, Douglas and Carolyn parody the 1826 poem Casabianca.

Goddard is named so in reference to Godot, as in Waiting for Godot.[2]

When writing this episode, John Finnemore didn't know whether Cabin Pressure would be allowed a second series. Had he known it would continue, he would have saved the revelations of Douglas' sobriety and the meaning of 'MJN' for later series.[3]

References[]

  1. BBC Radio 4: Cabin Pressure, series 1, Fitton. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  2. Cabin Pressure Transcript: Interview with John Finnemore. Retrieved 21st February 2024.
  3. Farewell Bear Facts - Fitton / Federigo's Falcon. Retrieved 19th September 2023.
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