The Great British Spitfire Restoration is a Channel 4 documentary that charts the two-year-long effort of a team of engineers to restore one of World War II's most iconic aircraft.
Filmed on location at Biggin Hill, once the site of an RAF aerodrome which played a key role in the Battle of Britain, The Great British Spitfire Restoration follows a small team of engineers as they attempt to rebuild a piece of history. Heritage Hangar owner Peter Monk's team are attempting to completely restore a Spitfire that once fought in the Greek civil war!
Here's everything you need to know about The Great British Spitfire Restoration!
The Great British Spitfire Restoration release date
The Great British Spitfire Restoration starts on Channel 4 on Saturday, 24 April at 8pm. You'll be able to catch up with any episodes you miss on All4.
What will we see in The Great British Spitfire Restoration?
Narrated by British comedian Al Murray, The Great British Spitfire Restoration follows a team of restorers who are working on a 1943 Mark IX Spitfire.
The plane in question is MJ 755. It is the last survivor of over 250 planes that were sold post-war to the Greek air force. It had been used in the Greek civil war, and last flew in 1953 before it sat in a museum for decades.
To make sure the plane is as authentic as possible, the team strove to follow many of the original plans, tools and techniques as their 1940s counterparts. Along the way, they try to source as many authentic parts as they can, but they have to keep their budget in mind, and original Spitfire parts aren't exactly cheap!
Peter's team promised the Greek charity funding the restoration they'd have the Spitfire ready in just nine months, so they're under quite a lot of pressure! The Channel 4 team joins the Heritage Hangar engineers just as they start getting to grips with the Spitfire fuselage.
The show will also explore the plane's historical importance, give some detail on how significant the original Spitfire designs really were, and reunite some war veterans with these iconic planes, too!
Is there a trailer?
Yes! You can get a sneak-peak of the engineers in action below:
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