Piece of Cake

Join the RAF Hornet Squadron and experience their tumultuous adventures, heartaches and rites of passage. Seen on Masterpiece Theatre, this landmark BBC production set in the early days of the World War II follows personal dramas on the ground and daredevil exploits in the air. Piece of Cake is hailed for some of the most breathtaking, realistic aerial combat sequences ever captured on film. Based on Derek Robinson's best-selling novel. Stars Neil Dudgeon (Mrs. Bradley Mysteries), Nathanial Parker (Inspector Lynley) and Tom Burlinson (The Man From Snowy River).

Episode 1 - For the twelve young Royal Air Force pilots of Hornet Squadron, September 1939 is the moment they have been waiting for. Flying their well-crafted Spitfires in perfect formation, they are ready for action. Yet they are off to France to face an enemy better trained, better armed and better experienced than they are.

Episode 2 - It is autumn and Hornet Squadron is billeted with their Spitfires in France, near the German border. For most of the young pilots, this posting is the first time they have left the shores of England. They spend the initial lazy days of the phony war lodged in an idyllic French chateau, pampered by their charismatic Squadron Leader Rex, but hoping for real action and dreaming of romance

Episode 3 - It is December 1939. The boredom of the phony war has been frustrating for the young people who still await their first action with the German Luftwaffe. But like all young men away from home for the first time, the pilots find ways to amuse themselves with all the delights that France has to offer. Squadron Leader Rex is determined not to let efficiency slip and decides to test his pilots both in the air and on the ground, but events turn out differently than anyone expected

Episode 4 - It is now March 1940 and with the coming of spring there is a double wedding planned, but will romance stand a chance when the real fighting starts? With only one lucky kill to its name, Hornet Squadrons young pilots begin to doubt their textbook training and their courage to take on the might of the Luftwaffe when, and if, the big push comes

Episode 5 - It is May 1940 and the phony war is over with a vengeance and France is being attacked by the Luftwaffe. The two brides of Hornet Squadron members plan to leave for England, but there is danger at every crossroad. With the death of Squadron Leader Rex there is an urgent need for new tactics, new Spitfires and a new fighting spirit if the young pilots are to survive. Fanny Barton, the quiet Australian, takes over as the new squadron leader

Episode 6 - August 1940 and Hornet Squadron regroups at an airstation on the south coast of England. Morale is low, but fresh aircraft and pilots are arriving to prepare for the mighty attack that the Luftwaffe is suspected to be planning. The glorious days of high summer mean that the enemy has been coming over and bombing England in endless waves, and Squadron Leader Barton has his hands full keeping his hard-pressed pilots at their sharpest. As the squadron prepares for full scale battle, a reminder of the happy days with the French campaign appears, but will this past love be the unlucky black widow that some fear?

‘Fanny’ Barton	---	Tom Burlinson
‘Moggy’ Cattermole	---	Neil Dudgeon
‘Ram’ Ramsey	---	Jack McKenzie
‘Dicky’ Starr	---	Tom Radcliffe
‘Pip’Patterson	---	George Anton
‘Sticky’ Stickwell	---	Gordon Lovitt
‘Flip’ Moran	---	Gerard O’Hare
‘Flash’ Gordon	---	Nathaniel Parker
‘Mother’ Cox	---	Patrick Bailey
‘Fitz’Fitzgerald	---	Jeremy Northam
‘Moke’ Miller	---	Mary Womack
Squadron Leader Rex	---	Tim Woodward
Christopher Hart III	---	Boyd Gaines
‘Uncle’ Kellaway	---	David Horovitch
‘Skull’ Skelton	---	Richard Hope
Air Commodore Bletchley	---	Michael Elwyn
‘Mickey’ Marriott	---	Stephen McKenna
French Officer ‘Rochard’	---	Gerard Cherqui
French Officeer ‘Martineaux’	---	Las Clack
L.A.C. Gullet	---	John Bleasdale
Flight Sergeant	---	Ian Flintoff
Farmer Ellis	---	Martin Matthews
Mayor	---	Claude Le Sache
Chanteuse	---	Elma Soiron
Chaplain	---	Tony Crean
L.A.C David Todd	---	Neil Clark
Flight Sergeant	---	Jeremy Browne
Mary	---	Helena Michell
Nicole	---	Corinne Dacla
Padre	---	Olivier Pierre
Michael Trevelyan	---	Jason Calder
German Pilot	---	Fergus McLarnon
Henri	---	Daniel Pageon
‘Dumbo’ Dutton	---	Sam Miller
‘Boy’ Lloyd	---	Timothy Lyn
Medical Officer	---	Richard Durden
‘Amanda’ Steele-Stebbing	---	Julian Gartside
‘Zaddy’ Zadarnowski	---	Tomek Bork
‘Haddy’ Haducek	---	Ned Vukovic
‘Nim’ Renouf	---	Jonathan Dow
‘Bing’ McFarlane	---	Actor Name

Written by Derek Robinson
Screenplay by Leon Griffiths
Directed by Ian Toynton
Produced by Andrew Holmes
Executive Produced by Linda Agran
Original Music by Peter Martin
Cinematography by Peter Jessop
Costume Design by Lynette Cummin