CelebAir
Contents |
Host
Co-host
Narrator: Ted May
Broadcast
Initial for ITV2, 2 September - 22 October 2008 (8 episodes)
Synopsis
Clearly trying to do a reverse Brian Dowling, eleven people who have had enough of celebrity take on a proper job: air stewards on real flights. We were hoping that the losers would be thrown out of a plane in mid-flight, but this isn't Drop the Celebrity.
If we had high hopes, so did the competitors. They had to take a six-week course, and pass exams, before even getting on a plane. The successful candidates were employed by Monarch Airlines, flying on routes between the UK and Europe.
The opening week of filming was almost scuppered by a strike amongst regular Monarch employees, and the traditional hours and hours of delays for flights leaving Spain. Passengers were unhappy, complaints were stacking up, and the critics had a field day with all sorts of bad puns.
While planning this show, ITV had completely forgotten the reality of air travel these days: it's not glamorous. Not at all. Deregulation may have brought air travel to the masses, but it's robbed flying of any sparkle it had.
Viewers found the show poor viewing. There's only so much interest in watching planes take off and land, and once you've seen a few airports, you've seen them all. The show lacked strong characters, there was no tremendous tension, and the project turned out to be a no-thrills airline.
Music
An uncredited cover version of "Getting Better" by The Beatles.
Trivia
The participants were:
- Lisa Maffia (rapper, champion)
- Tamara Beckwith (socialite)
- Chico (The X Factor reject)
- Phil Cornwell (impressionist)
- Kenzie (serial Celebrity Show contestant)
- Amy Lamé (comedienne)
- Michelle Marsh (singer)
- Dan O'Connor (soap opera performer)
- Mica Paris (singer)
- Lisa Scott-Lee (singer)
- Johnny Shentall (dancer)
