Stephanie Cole, Roger Allam, Benedict Cumberbatch and John Finnemore in “Cabin Pressure”. (Photo: BBC/BBC Radio 4)
Cabin Pressure
This isn’t actually something you can watch, so forgive me for sneaking it on to this list. But Cabin Pressure is straight up hilarious, and your life will be better if you listen to it. Promise. (It’s also further evidence that Bourgeoisie Charizard should really, really make more comedies. He’s so charming and funny and – gasp! – normal in this!)
Cabin Pressure is a BBC Radio 4 audio sitcom created by John Finnemore that followed the often hilarious misadventures of the single airplane owned by MJN Air. The crew is chartered to take all manner of items, people and animals across the world, and each episode is named after a different MJN destination. Some of these trips go well. Some do not. And still others skirt the edges of causing international incidents. But it all works out in the end.
Cumberbatch is one of the comedy’s four leads, alongside Roger Allam, Stephanie Cole and Finnemore himself. He plays hapless pilot Martin Crieff, whose love of flying and procedure is often overshadowed by his lack of natural ability at it. Cumberbatch has wonderful chemistry with everyone else in the cast, and it’s pretty hard not to love the constantly nervous but generally well-meaning Martin. Despite the occasional slapstick moment, the stories are almost always focused on friendship and family (and a certain brand of whisky). It’s an absolute delight from beginning to end.