Channel 4's Top Guns: Inside the RAF puts viewers at the heart of the action, following the service as it carries out operations around the world. Mark Tattersall, executive producer at True North Productions tells Matthew Corrigan how the incredible front line footage was filmed
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: April 8, 2025 Updated: April 10, 2025
Channel 4's Top Guns: Inside the RAF puts viewers at the heart of the action, following the service as it carries out operations around the world. Mark Tattersall, executive producer at True North Productions tells Matthew Corrigan how the incredible front line footage was filmed
target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin>
The words of the Russian pilot leave no doubt. High above the Black Sea, the crystal clarity of his terse address is chilling, directly addressing the crews aboard three Royal Air Force jets rapidly approaching the Crimean Peninsula: You have entered a combat zone. If you don't leave the restricted zone, you will be destroyed.
Moments later, the British aircraft, a Boeing RC135W Rivet Joint electronic surveillance aircraft and its two Eurofighter Typhoon fighter escorts, are joined by a most unwelcome visitor, as the menacing shape of a Russian Sukhoi Su-27 interceptor roars into view. Fast, agile and bristling with lethal technology, the formidable jet poses a very serious threat. The fighter moves into an aggressive position and the tension ratchets up. Episode 1 of Channel 4's groundbreaking documentary, Top Guns: Inside the RAF is off to a nailbiting start.
RAF Eurofighter Typhoon. Image: Getty Produced for the broadcaster by Leeds-based True North Productions, the documentary follows the work of the men and women who protect our skies. The second season has just come to a close.
Giving us a valuable insight into the unique challenges of filming cutting edge military technology in often sensitive environments, executive producer Mark Tattersall begins by describing the make-up of the team. Throughout the production, the size of the team scales up and down depending on our priorities, he explains. In terms of filming, we had 4-6 people on the ground working between RAF Coningsby and RAF Waddington, with another 2-4-person team at RAF Akrotiri [the air force's Permanent Joint Operating Base in the eastern Mediterranean].
They are supported by a much bigger team at True North, who oversee and run' the production. In total, around 70 people were involved in making the series, and we tried to ensure we had a team that was both highly skilled and highly diverse.
Filming took place between February and August last year, although Tattersall explains the majority was completed by June. Filming could be day or night in any of our locations as we follow patterns of life in the RAF and frontline military operations. he says.
The first series debuted in 2023 and brought widespread praise. The team gained invaluable experience, which Tattersall confirms was put to good use this time around. Access was only granted to us on the back of a considerable track record of successfully navigating operational security challenges, he says.
With around 40+ hours of observational documentary storytelling behind us, we managed to convince the RAF that we had both the knowledge and experience for how to approach some of the sensitive storylines and locations. Getting the final approval required patience and persistence, and a lot of help from the RAF too! Our ambitions were to build on the success of Series 1 and go further, but that meant new risks and new workflows to manage them.
Image: UK MOD Crown Copyright 2023 The series showcases many of the myriad roles needed to keep the service airborne, following the work of ground crews as well as the fliers. A range of equipment was needed to meet the various requirements of the different aspects shown on screen. Our main film cameras on the ground were Sony PXW-FX9s, says Tattersall. Combined with prime lenses, they gave the team the control and flexibility for long days and challenging environments.
In the cockpit, the RAF holds all the keys for cameras and microphones. It takes many months of experimentation and rigorous safety checks to ensure the pilots are always safe. It's a one size fits all' approach, so if a camera is deemed safe for training, then it must also be safe for frontline operations or even if a pilot needs to eject.
And, of course, it isn't just the military that has a need for operational security. The workflow we created to get cockpit pictures and audio took many months to establish, so we're keeping that secret for now! he adds.
VFX use was kept to a minimum, with real footage preferred to keep the audience in the moment. Maps are the only device inserted, providing context for the audience. 4K shooting was the preference, says Tattersall, We shoot in 4K wherever possible to future-proof our rushes. Some of the RAF's own camera systems aren't quite at that resolution though!
With European conflict ongoing and temperatures unfortunately rising across a number of the world's flashpoints, the need for absolute security remained paramount throughout the entire process. Not unexpectedly, the True North team has a healthy respect for such critical matters, working with the service to ensure content was carefully handled.
Getting additional footage from the RAF was a huge challenge when we began to make this series, Tattersall explains. Understanding what can be recorded and how to unlock it required a huge effort, and we've very grateful to the RAF for their assistance. A combination of high-level security clearances and secure editing areas meant that we could collate all of the footage we needed to bring the audience into the cockpit. Knowing what to
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Zero in on one that says yes (and no)
Andy Marken May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Hero image courtesy of Deposit Photos
For content creators the most difficu...
29/05/2026
With InfoComm 2026 just weeks away, NDI is giving attendees plenty of reasons to...
29/05/2026
Reaffirming a partnership that has defined Canadian sports broadcasting since 19...
29/05/2026
Mobile/tablet is No. 2 device for watching TV, suggesting that the sports-production industry needs to take another look at the format
Ring Digital's Sprin...
29/05/2026
Berliner Ensemble, one of Berlin's five major theater companies, has expande...
29/05/2026
Solid State Logic will showcase its new compact, fly-away TCA Tour audio product...
29/05/2026
Gerald (Jerry) Pierce, a pioneering technologist who helped shape the digital transformation of the motion picture industry, passed away last month on April 12 ...
29/05/2026
Paramount+ will be the English-language U.S. home for Barclays Women's Super...
29/05/2026
Further strengthening its virtualisation strategy to fully support broadcasters ...
29/05/2026
Swiss broadcaster Canal Alpha has deployed Harmonic's award-winning, software-based XOS Advanced Media Processor to modernize playout operations across cant...
29/05/2026
PTZOptics will showcase a new generation of intelligent video workflows at InfoComm 2026, June 17-19, Las Vegas. Visitors to booth N8227 will see how PTZOptics ...
29/05/2026
Arizona's Family has launched the Arizona's Family Sports (AZFS) streaming app, a new direct-to-consumer destination for live, local sports. The app is ...
29/05/2026
Starting in 2027, DAZN will be the exclusive home of The Canadian Football Leagu...
29/05/2026
Comcast Business has detailed the advanced network infrastructure it has deploye...
29/05/2026
In two-day event, leaders from academia and industry explored solutions to chall...
29/05/2026
The Basketball Tournament (TBT), now entering their 13th year of competition, ha...
29/05/2026
Roku has launched FOX One as a Premium Subscription on The Roku Channel in the U.S. Roku customers can now subscribe to FOX One using their Roku account for liv...
29/05/2026
In its sixth year, the broadcaster's coverage has become a global brand and ...
29/05/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent ratings news and is derived from press re...
29/05/2026
The days are getting longer, the temperatures are rising, and playlists are filling up for the season. With summer around the corner, Spotify's global edito...
29/05/2026
New retro-inspired MPC announced
There are few devices that have gained the status held by Akai Pro's MPC range, and in recent years, the company have s...
29/05/2026
Save up to 30 on acclaimed titles
Following a successful launch at Superbooth 2026, Bjooks have revealed that they will be continuing the Kickstarter campa...
29/05/2026
Binaural monitoring application improved
Genelec have just released an update that brings some powerful new features to their HRTF-based binaural headphone ...
29/05/2026
6 June 2026 at SAE Institute, London, UK
IMSTA FESTA 2026 is almost upon us, with some of the biggest names in pro-audio set to descend upon SAE Institute i...
29/05/2026
Gerald (Jerry) Pierce, a pioneering technologist who helped shape the digital transformation of the motion picture industry, died April 12, 2026, at his home in...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Comparing 5 AI Video Enhancers for Restoring Old Video Quality
Kate Luvis May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Digitizing VHS, MiniDV, and other legacy formats doe...
29/05/2026
Studio Hamburg Builds New Post Pipeline with DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Workflow replaces a patchwork of legacy tools...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
At the Intersection of Music and Dance, an Epic Collaboration Boston Conservatory musicians and dancers found creative parallels in their recent performance o...
29/05/2026
May 29 2026, 09:00 (PDT) Dolby and rednote Bring More Immersive Storytelling to...
29/05/2026
Something fundamental has shifted in how people consume media. Audiences aren't abandoning television or radio content; they're just expanding how, wher...
29/05/2026
Youtube exclusive special drops today
Watch now
UKTV today announces another e...
29/05/2026
Back to All News
The Official Trailer of Physical 100 Italy, on Netflix From Se...
29/05/2026
At just 20 years old, Sean Melia from Summerhill Co. Meath has been revealed as the winner of Super Garden 2026. Sean is the youngest ever contestant and winner...
29/05/2026
Experimental HIV vaccine achieves a long-sought goal In a first for the field, all non-human primates given a new series of vaccines generated antibodies capabl...
Channel 4's Top Guns: Inside the RAF puts viewers at the heart of the action, following the service as it carries out operations around the world. Mark Tattersall, executive producer at True North Productions tells Matthew Corrigan how the incredible front line footage was filmed
