DEL BOY TAKES THE CAKE AT MEDIA LAUNCH
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LOVELY JUBBLY! That was the verdict of one of Britain's best-loved actors when he touched down today at the media launch of this summer's Royal International Air Tattoo, at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, to help the event celebrate its 40th anniversary.
Sir David Jason gave the event his official seal of approval, performing the official cutting of the 40th anniversary cake and wishing the Air Tattoo, at RAF Fairford on July 16 and 17, well. He said: "It's a great pleasure to come to the media launch, as I like to feel it's helping drum up the support that the RAF Charitable Trust needs."
A great supporter of the Air Tattoo and an Honorary Vice Patron since 1999, Sir David added: "The Charitable Trust is close to my heart as it supports all the guys in the military who've fallen on hard times, as the money raised goes to help them and to make their lives more worthwhile."
The actor arrived in style on board an RAF Chinook HC2 – "like being in a box of vibrating rivets!" he laughed. The helicopter, from RAF Odiham in Hampshire, picked up Sir David at RAF Benson in South Oxfordshire, before flying in to RAF Fairford. A versatile support helicopter, the Chinook is designed to operate in all environments, ranging from Arctic cold to desert conditions, so it was well able to cope with this morning's light showers in Gloucestershire.
Sir David, 71, is best known for playing Del Boy Trotter in the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses – and he made the transition from Chinook to the launch in a replica of Del Boy's yellow Robin Reliant. Last year the actor appeared on ITV, presenting a documentary about the Battle of Britain, during which he took to the skies in the Spitfire which shot down the first enemy aircraft on D-Day. This year he returns to comedy in a new BBC series The Royal Bodyguard in which he plays HM the Queen's head of security, with filming beginning in July.
Talking about his new role, he said: "It's a good old fashioned comedy from the Beeb. My character is a lowly sort of parking attendant who, by a series of flukes, becomes the Queen's security guard. He manages to save the Queen but is totally inept."
He adds: "I really enjoyed the work I did on Frost for so many years, but it's lovely to be getting back to comedy. Ronnie Barker said to me when we were filming Open All Hours, years ago, 'Isn't it wonderful how we're getting paid to make ourselves laugh!', and it is wonderful to be returning to that."
The launch also featured three veterans from the first-ever Air Tattoo held in 1971 at North Weald, Essex. The Spitfire Mk9 (MH434) which displayed at the first-ever Air Tattoo, flew in to join Tim Prince, Air Tattoo Chief Executive and a founder member of the airshow, along with aviation journalist and photographer Peter R March.
Recalling the Spitfire's first Air Tattoo appearance (it will also be displaying at this year's event), when it was piloted by former Red Arrows leader and legendary aerobatics display pilot Ray Hanna, Tim Prince said: "I can still recall the cold sweat I felt when Ray made his first approach: he was so low the tips of his propeller seemed to be touching the ground. But Ray went on to perform fantastically in MH434 and he helped cement the Air Tattoo's reputation for staging spectacular aerial displays."
Tim added: "It's a great pleasure to welcome our guests, and this has really set the scene for an outstanding 40th anniversary Royal International Air Tattoo. The United States Air Force is firmly behind us, as shown by the participation of the MC-130P Combat Shadow from RAF Mildenhall, along with Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and civilian aircraft, and we look forward to them joining us again, with thousands of members of the public, for our anniversary Air Tattoo on July 16 and 17."
Completing the aviation line-up at the launch were: a Tornado GR4, illustrating STAR 11 (Strike, Attack and Reconnaissance), the operational theme of the airshow; a Royal Navy Merlin HM1, the grey striped helicopter representing the Tiger 50 theme which marks the 50th anniversary of the NATO Tiger Association; two EV-97 Eurostars, funded by the RAF Charitable Trust and providing Air Experience Flights for RAF trainees; plus a Boeing Stearman biplane from the Breitling Wingwalkers base at nearby Rendcomb, complete with wingwalker Danielle Hughes.
June 8, 2011
