Episodes
| Episode | Title | First Broadcast | Repeated | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 04 | Makeshift Wedding | 20200530 | 20210607 (WS) | Spitfire production is getting back on track, but the search for locations continues. Out into the surrounding countryside, from brickworks to country manors to empty fields, the dispersal continues. Presenter: Tuppence Middleton Producers: Alasdair Cross and Emily Knight Editors: Chris Ledgard and Kirsten Lass Before a plane could save a country, the people had to build it " |
| 05 | Women Take Control | 20200606 | 20210612 (WS) 20210614 (WS) | The new Spitfires need to be flown to RAF bases desperate for reinforcements. That’s the job of the ATA Girls - the female flyers of World War Two, some of the first women in Britain to receive the same wages as their male counterparts. Presenter: Tuppence Middleton Producers: Alasdair Cross and Emily Knight Editors: Chris Ledgard and Kirsten Lass Before a plane could save a country, the people had to build it " |
| 06 | The Shilling Factor | 20200613 | 20210619 (WS) 20210621 (WS) | As brilliant as the Spitfire is, it has one major flaw. Take her into a steep dive and fuel can’t reach the engine. A solution is urgently needed. That’s a job for the fastest woman in Britain: champion motorcycle racer and pioneering engineer, Beatrice Shilling. Presenter: Tuppence Middleton Producers: Alasdair Cross and Emily Knight Editors: Chris Ledgard and Kirsten Lass The audio for this programme was updated on 16 June 2020. The fastest woman in Britain is called in to solve a dangerous problem Before a plane could save a country, the people had to build it |
| 07 | New Planes, New Rules | 20200620 | 20210626 (WS) 20210628 (WS) | Ramping up production requires another new factory - but it nearly costs Britain dearly Before a plane could save a country, the people had to build it " |
| 08 | Faster And Higher | 20200627 | 20210703 (WS) 20210705 (WS) | It wasn’t just Spitfire production that needed to escape the bombs; the designers of the plane also need to find a safe place to improve the Spitfire to deal with Germany’s latest fighter developments. Presenter: Tuppence Middleton Producers: Alasdair Cross and Emily Knight Editors: Chris Ledgard and Kirsten Lass The plane's designers try to respond to Germany's latest fighter developments Before a plane could save a country, the people had to build it " |
| 09 | Teenage Pilots | 20200704 | 20210710 (WS) 20210712 (WS) | How does it feel to fly the plane that won the war? Two Spitfire pilots - one 18 year old from the Battle of Britain, one from today’s RAF - compare their experiences of unparalleled ecstasy and paralysing fear. Presenter: Tuppence Middleton Producers: Alasdair Cross and Emily Knight Editors: Chris Ledgard and Kirsten Lass How does it feel to fly a Spitfire? Before a plane could save a country, the people had to build it " |
| 10 | Scramble | 20200711 | 20210717 (WS) 20210718 (WS) 20210719 (WS) | 15th September 1940 was the moment the Germans chose to drive the Spitfire from the battlefield. The people on the ground, guiding the Spitfires - spotters, plotters and fitters- will play a vital role in a day that changed the course of World War Two. Presenter: Tuppence Middleton Producers: Alasdair Cross and Emily Knight Editors: Chris Ledgard and Kirsten Lass Before a plane could save a country, the people had to build it " |