Can we get your attention for a moment? British Airways releases hilarious new ‘period drama’ safety video, made by Bridget Jones director Sharon Maguire – and hailed as a ‘work of art’
British Airways has released a hilarious new safety video that is going viral on social media, with one person even calling it a “work of art.”
The video has been viewed more than 93,000 times on YouTube in 24 hours and more than 180 responses.
The video is made in the style of a costume drama and was directed by Sharon Maguire, best known for Bridget Jones’s Diary and Bridget Jones’s Baby.
The new video was filmed at country houses across the UK, including Hatfield House in Hertfordshire and Englefield House Estate in Berkshire.
‘Felix_velasquez’ responds on YouTube: ‘This is the most creative video I’ve ever seen, a work of art.’
British Airways has released a hilarious new safety video that has been a huge hit on social media, with one person even calling it a ‘work of art’
The video has been viewed more than 93,000 times on YouTube in 24 hours and has generated more than 180 comments
The video is made in the style of a costume drama and was directed by Sharon Maguire, best known for Bridget Jones’s Diary and Bridget Jones’s Baby
‘MattJDCooke’ says: ‘I love this. BA meets Bridgerton, Downton, Jane Austen et al. Original and memorable.’
BA explains: ‘The film shows ladies and gentlemen of the estate, as well as housekeepers and butlers, going about their daily lives in the Britain of yesteryear, until they are abruptly interrupted by current British Airways colleagues demonstrating the safety briefing.’
At one point a character is ‘bewildered by modern devices and when asked, “Is it a winged creature in the sky or perhaps a celestial device that navigates the air?”‘, Ellis Brett, an apprentice in aircraft maintenance, replies, ‘No, ma’am. That’s a British Airways A350.’
The new video was filmed at country houses across the UK, including Hatfield House in Hertfordshire and Englefield House Estate in Berkshire
‘Felix_velasquez’ responds on YouTube: ‘This is the most creative video I’ve ever seen – a work of art’
BA explains: ‘The film shows ladies and gentlemen of the estate, as well as housekeepers and butlers, going about their daily lives in the Britain of yesteryear, before being abruptly interrupted by current British Airways colleagues demonstrating the safety briefing.’
The video features more than 40 BA employees who have been trained by dialect coach Jill McCullough to ‘perfect their accent’.
Helen Lau, a BA first officer who plays herself in the campaign, said: ‘As a first officer, my job means I’m in the cockpit during the safety briefing, so the idea that I’ll be in the cabins on the video feels very surreal.
“I love the closing line, which says stay safe, take care of each other, and never change. That line was in the previous video and I hope it’s repeated in the next one. It’s such a moving and unifying line.”
Sharon explains that the video was created with the help of “industry legends,” including three-time Oscar-winning costume designer Jenny Beavan.
Calum Laming, Chief Customer Officer at British Airways, said: “We know these videos deliver vital safety information, and it’s so important that we do everything we can to keep our customers engaged throughout. When it came to selecting a genre, we wanted something that would allow us to do this while appealing to a global audience, so a period drama with a bit of humour seemed like the perfect fit.
‘I’m also incredibly proud that more than 40 colleagues play in the film. Because we’ve always said that it’s our people who make us who we are.’
From 1 August, the safety film will be shown on BA’s long-haul flights.
