UKTV gets Warbird Workshop off the ground restoring classic aircraft for Yesterday

London - Thursday 6 June 2019 UKTV has commissioned a new series for its leading factual channel, Yesterday. Warbird Workshop (6x60) is buckling up, chucking the chocks away and lining up for take-off with the men and women committed to returning the UKs most historic warplanes to the skies.

Each episode of the new series will follow the painstaking work that goes in to the restoration of an iconic aircraft, as well as telling the stories of the airfield where the workshop is located, the men and women who flew the plane, the part it played in military history, and the challenges it now presents its restorers and pilots.

Aircraft featured in the series includes an iconic Spitfire that flew 50 wartime combat missions, an American C47 paratroop plane that was damaged on D-Day, a rare biplane veteran of the Condor Legion that fought in the Spanish Civil War and a Cold War L39 jet.

Warbird Workshop is produced by Air TV, commissioned for UKTV by commissioning editor Natalie Rose and ordered by Yesterday channel director, Gerald Casey and deputy director of commissioning, Hilary Rosen. The series is exec produced for Air TV by Ian Cundall and the series will be distributed by TCB Media Rights.

UKTVs Natalie Rose said,

Taking our viewers to the heart of aviation engineering whilst examining profoundly significant parts of British history really excites us. Not only is it pressurized and costly, but the skill, patience and precision needed to restore these dormant warbirds has rarely been seen. Whether its sourcing scarce parts from all over the world or maneuvering unexpected hitches, well be right inside the bowels of these hangars as engineers toil to return these iconic aircrafts to the sky. For us, its the perfect combination of nostalgia and craftsmanship. Air TV are proven specialists in first-rate factual content, and were thrilled to be working with them again on such a special series.

Ian Cundall, executive producer for Air TV said,

The astonishing engineering skills that kept these aircraft flying are still alive today. Were looking forward to throwing open the hangar doors and celebrating the men and women dedicated to putting these warbirds back where they belong - in the sky. Seeing a plane that hasnt flown for decades once more roaring down the runway makes for heart-stopping viewing.

Yesterdays Gerald Casey said,

Yesterday is all about sharing incredible stories with our viewers, and there are some incredible human stories behind the remarkable feats of engineering in this wonderful new series. We cant wait to show them all on Yesterday.

Warbird Workshop will TX on Yesterday in 2020 and will also be available on UKTV Play. Yesterday is also home to UKTV Original, Bangers & Cash, alongside other exclusive programming including the upcoming War Factories, Worlds Greatest Palaces, Train Truckers and new series of Abandoned Engineering and World War Weird.

For more information, please contact:

Dave Barnsby, Senior Manager, Digital Press Office

Notes to Editors

About Yesterday Freeview 19 | Sky 155 | Freesat 159 | youview 19 On demand on Sky and UKTV Play | @yesterdaytweets | yesterday.uktv.co.uk

Showcasing UK premieres series such as Impossible Engineering, Forbidden History, and Private Lives of the Tudors, Yesterday provides fascinating factual stories.

The channel also features dynamic nature and science programming including David Attenboroughs Natural Curiosities and Wonders of the Universe, and programmes which challenge expectations including Secrets of the Bible. Ancient history is also featured in series including Medieval Dead, plus seminal war documentaries such as World at War.

About UKTV UKTV is a commercial broadcaster reaching almost 40m viewers every month.

The award-winning independent has eleven imaginative brands - UKTV Play, Dave, W, Gold, Alibi, Yesterday, Drama, Really, Home, Eden and Good Food. These include the two most popular non-PSB channels in the UK and account for nearly 10% of the British commercial TV market.

The network delivers inspired channels to audiences through Freeview, Sky, Virgin Media, BT, TalkTalk, YouView, Freesat, Amazon Fire and UKTV Play, and distributes its highly valued original programmes to 200 territories. Now celebrating over 20 years at the forefront of digital television, UKTV - an independent commercial joint venture between BBC Studios and Discovery, Inc. - is proud to be the first British television broadcaster in The Sunday Times top 100 companies list.

corporate.uktv.co.uk | press.uktv.co.uk | @uktvpress

About Air TV Air TV is an award-winning independent production company based in York. Founded in 2015 by ex-BBC staffers Ian Cundall, Andy Joynson and Matt Richards in three years its produced more than 100 hours of programming, all of it set in the North of England.

The company created Helicopter ER for Really and 999 Rescue Squad for W and is one of UKTVs biggest suppliers of original programming by hour.

Air Television has won four prestigious Royal Television Society awards and has also worked for the BBC, Channel 4 and 5.

airtv.co.uk | @airtv_uk

LINK:	https://corporate.uktv.co.uk/news/article/warbird-workshop-yesterday/...
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