Spitfire is the stirring underdog tale of the aircraft that won the Battle of Britain and ultimately the Second World War, as told by the last serving heroes who built, flew and fought in her.
Narrated by Charles Dance (The Imitation Game 2014), the documentary balances interviews with pilots such as Geoffrey Wellum, the youngest fighter pilot in the Royal Air Force to have fought at the Battle of Britain, and Women’s Auxiliary Air Force personnel such as Joan Fanshawe, with material guaranteed to spike the pulse rates of aeronautical enthusiasts: footage of surviving Spits being wheeled out of museum storage; never-before-seen digitally remastered archive film from the 1940s; nuts-and-bolts analysis of the planes’ defensive strengths and breath-taking aerial footage from the world’s greatest aviation photographer, John Dibbs.
Spitfire is the story of an aeroplane that changed the course of history: Forged in competition, shaped as the war clouds gathered, and refined in the white heat of combat. Released to mark the RAF’s centenary, the documentary is an insightful investigation into how this extraordinary plane became the most famous fighter aircraft ever made.
