Channel 4 - Guy Martin Battle of Britain (2020) Part 1

Channel 4's favourite daredevil Guy Martin reveals the bravery, sacrifice and ingenuity of the UK forces who fought in one of the most infamous battles of World War Two. Now he sets out to discover if he could have been a fighter pilot in the Battle of Britain. If he makes the grade, he'll face his toughest test yet flying a Hawker Hurricane in a dogfight against a Messerschmitt 109. The Battle of Britain of 1940 saw RAF pilots apparently outnumbered and outgunned by the Luftwaffe. Yet the young men of the Fighter Command, with an average age of just 20, inflicted Hitler's first defeat of World War Two. Guy follows in their footsteps, using the same training, the same planes, and the same locations; bringing to life the stresses and strains of wartime flying in the most authentic first-hand experience possible. Guy Martin looks at one of the most vital conflicts of World War Two and commemorates the many men and women who fought to defend Britain against the German air force in 1940. Tracing the story of the battle, Guy meets both veterans of the conflict and their descendants, pays tribute to the invaluable contribution of the Polish Air Force and Squadron 303, and investigates the pioneering work of plastic surgeons and air-sea rescue teams. Guy also gains a unique insight into a pilot's experience by undergoing an intense flight training course and learning what it may have been like to take part in a 'dogfight' – an aerial duel between fighter aircraft conducted at close range.

Part 1

Guy follows in the footsteps of the brave young pilots of World War Two. But his toughest test yet starts with a near disaster on take-off! In this first episode, Guy learns how to fly in a Tiger Moth bi-plane, the same type of aircraft every RAF recruit first flew. Despite a near disaster on take-off, it becomes clear that Guy's mechanical skill makes him a natural pilot and training quickly progresses to the much faster Harvard aircraft and combat manoeuvres. Away from the airfield, Guy tries his hand at clay pigeon shooting, a sport which trained rookie pilots how to shoot down enemy planes. He also looks at the lesser-known aspects of the Battle of Britain, learning about a secret weapon 'the like of which,' said Winston Churchill, 'the world had never seen before'.

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