On Last Night’s TV FINEST HOUR

I★★★★ t was lovely to see ITV marking yesterday’s 80th anniversary of the Battle Of Britain by sending Sir David “Del Boy” Jason up in a vintage fighter jet.

No one actually mentioned Del Boy in the film. I just thought I’d give him a nickname so he felt more at home with the boys and girls of RAF Coningsby’s Battle Of Britain Memorial Flight crew.

They do like a nickname. We met Matthew “Mazza” Marriott, Mark “Suggs” Sugden and, my favourite, Mark “Disco” Discombe.

It would appear the RAF is also big on nominative determinism. The Air Vice Marshal is called Marshall and we also met an Air Commodore called Flewin.

Host David Jason is an RAF superfan This documentary wasn’t really about living airmen though. It was a tribute to those who fought and those who died in what Mazza called “the RAF’s finest hour”.

David Jason was invited along for a quick ride because he is a well-known flying buff and RAF superfan.

Had it not been for Covid-19, he might have been treated to more cockpit time. Most of this year’s flypasts and displays had to be cancelled.

However, if that subsequent lack of aerial footage was why this documentary was filled with archive interviews with Battle Of Britain veterans from 2010, no one would complain.

The captions indicating most had died during the intervening 10 years, brought an extra poignancy.

No wonder the BBMF is so keen to keep flying to make sure their names live on.