About Piece Of Cake

Post 1836:

I recently looked on my bookshelf and saw a copy of Piece of Cake by Derek Robinson. It’s a pretty good novel about a RAF squadron at the beginning of WW2, the phony war in 1939, culminating with the Battle of Britain.

It made me think of its British TV adaptation. I saw it as a kid. It was required viewing for me back then. I was probably one of three American children who watched it. Side effects of being a fighter pilot’s son.

Anyway, I googled to see if it was streaming. Turns out it’s free on YouTube. Full episodes, and they look and sound pretty dang good. So check it out. Freaking free.

It’s a six part series, and it’s a bit old-fashioned, but there will probably never be anything like it again. The planes are WW2 fighters and bombers and they fly the crap out of them. No way in hell would they do this today. If you want to feel the difference between reality and CGI stuff, this is it.

It’s about a British air squadron, comprised of arrogant British guys who think they are better than everyone else, being more Britty than anyone has ever Britaned. They are snobs. They are immature. They are heroic. While much of the dialogue is funny, it’s very sad as well. You’ll get the rhythm of it pretty quickly, so this is no spoiler: almost all the pilots die. You’ll find yourself knowing them, and then the war takes what it takes.

The brutality and terrible odds these dudes faced is well-depicted. Yes, it’s done with wry wit and a stiff upper lip, but it lets things be genuine and sentimental at times.

It’s maybe a bit out of date, and this is before the age of grand spectacle television, but I think everyone should have a look. The acting is fantastic. Great characters. And the planes are outstanding. All the stunts are second-to-none, and like I say, this kind of production will probably never be put to any kind of screen again.

Check out YouTube.com for a good show. I’ve never said that.

Nice book too. Cheers and see you after.