Series synopsis
Britain's Busiest Airport: Heathrow is a British documentary reality drama television series that premiered on ITV1 on June 4, 2015. It ended on August 24, 2022. It stars Joanna Lumley, Julie Walters, Paul Thornley and Patricia Hodge.
Documentary series going behind the scenes at Britain's busiest and biggest international airport - London Heathrow.
Premise
Documentary series going behind the scenes at Britain's busiest and biggest international airport - London Heathrow.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Joanna Lumley as Narrator (voice)
- Julie Walters as Narrator (voice)
- Paul Thornley as Narrator (voice)
- Patricia Hodge as Narrator (voice)
Guest cast
- Sarah Parish as Narrator
- Frances Barber as Narrator
Episodes
This series spans 8 seasons with 57 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 3 | June 4, 2015 | June 18, 2015 |
| Season 2 | 3 | May 30, 2016 | June 13, 2016 |
| Season 3 | 3 | May 10, 2017 | May 24, 2017 |
| Season 4 | 6 | May 2, 2018 | June 13, 2018 |
| Season 5 | 12 | May 21, 2019 | October 16, 2019 |
| Season 6 | 12 | August 19, 2020 | November 4, 2020 |
| Season 7 | 12 | March 10, 2021 | October 26, 2021 |
| Season 8 | 6 | July 20, 2022 | August 24, 2022 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Arrivals This episode follows Heathrow staff racing against the clock to process thousands of passengers arriving from 84 different countries. Airside Safety Officer Glenn and his colleagues work closely with Air Traffic Control to keep Heathrow’s two runways open and clear of debris. Meanwhile, staff from the Animal Reception Centre welcome a variety of weird and wonderful animals – from pet ferrets to a wild tiger. Inside the terminals, Heathrow staff deal with passengers including a man who is stuck living at the airport after being deported from Thailand, and a family whose young relatives have got lost in Arrivals. |
June 4, 2015 |
| 2 |
Turnaround This episode follows Heathrow staff struggling to turn around hundreds of arriving planes, and get them back into the air on time. Cleaners, ground staff and flight crew race to get the world’s biggest passenger plane ready for departure. Meanwhile Heathrow prepares to open a £2bn new terminal, and welcomes a very special royal guest. Airport duty manager Andy is called on to defuse a major international protest, and a team of workers battle the elements as they attempt to resurface the runway overnight in time for the first flight of the morning. |
June 11, 2015 |
| 3 |
Departures This episode follows Heathrow staff trying to process 100,000 departing passengers a day, and get their flights away on time. Dispatcher Callie and Ramp Manager Steve have their plans thrown into chaos by a passenger who disappears after checking on to their flight. In Security, Sundeep and his team have to search an unusually dressed traveller, and deal with a man who is unhappy about having his bag searched. Meanwhile, Heathrow’s extradition team ensures police suspects are put on departing flights, while paparazzi photographer Kate is on the lookout for celebrities flying through the airport. |
June 18, 2015 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1 Heavy fog throws Heathrow into turmoil and new terminal manager Callum is faced with hundreds of angry and stranded passengers stuck overnight at the airport, while visibility has dropped to less than 100m on the airfield and safety officer Chris is forced to marshal planes. Manager Nilam reveals the secrets of one of Heathrow's most exclusive first-class lounges and dispatcher James and his team hunt around the terminal for late passengers for a flight to Pakistan. |
May 30, 2016 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 An American airline has one of its busiest days as hundreds of people fly to the USA for Thanksgiving, while Heathrow employee Sunita helps a woman who has lost her two-year old daughter. Ground staff use measures to disperse birds from the runway to prevent any collisions with aircraft, resident paramedic Izzy treats a pregnant passenger suffering from serious abdominal pain who is due to fly to Brazil that day and British Airways employees prepare for the inaugural flight of their new £185 million aircraft the Dreamliner. |
June 6, 2016 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 Storm Imogen causes chaos on the runways and in the terminals, with airside safety officer Simon keeping his eyes peeled for any potentially dangerous debris that could damage the landing planes. In Terminal 4, manager Sunita looks after dozens of passengers whose flight to Delhi has been cancelled, while trainee engineer Elliot prepares to get his hands dirty as he clears a blocked sewage pit - an essential part of the airport's operations that no passenger normally sees. |
June 13, 2016 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1 Passenger Experience Manager Sue does her best to get a passenger to his connecting flight at Gatwick - 38 miles away. |
May 10, 2017 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 Travellers face the challengers of transferring in the five-square-mile airport, with 200 gates and four terminals. |
May 17, 2017 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 Problems arise when a flight to New York is cancelled. Meanwhile, snow and ice threaten to close the runways. |
May 24, 2017 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1 Passenger experience manager Demi deals with some disgruntled passengers, while check-in attendants Carrie-Anne and Selina tackle broken baggage belts. Elsewhere, Border force worker Bob has to decide whether he should let a young Brazilian student into the UK to visit his brother. |
May 2, 2018 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 The King and Queen of Terminal Two, Demi and Sue, wrestle with a bare chested drunk, and back at immigration Kat and Bob come across a visitor whose reason for entering the UK does not add up. |
May 9, 2018 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 The airport is busy as it is half term with rich Russian kids returning home from British boarding schools, and trouble arrives when the biggest mobile crane stops in the middle of a live airfield. |
May 16, 2018 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1 King of the passenger experience, manager Demi, deals with some disgruntled passengers, check-in girls Carrie-Anne and Selina juggle love lives and baggage belts, and border force Bob questions a young Brazilian student. |
May 21, 2019 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 The airport runs at capacity, and the king and queen of Terminal Two, Sue and Demi, cope with the extra load from a closed Gatwick. Meanwhile, border force Bob is back, doing what he does best, protecting Britain's biggest border. |
May 22, 2019 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 Border Force Bob juggles visas with a circus performer, whilst Security Officer Estefania investigates an oddly shaped object. There's also drama in Terminal 3 for Passenger Experience Manager Harry as he deals with a medical emergency. |
June 5, 2019 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1 It's the winter of 2019, and the airport is having its busiest year to date. This is Heathrow before lockdown, where the Aviation Police are on the front line to protect Heathrow, and officers Terry and Dave return. |
August 19, 2020 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 Returning to Britain's busiest airport with the familiar face of airside officer Ian, who has a close shave out on the runway. Veteran Border Force officers Glen and Amarjit hunt down smuggled cargo, and there's a new engineering kid on the block. |
August 26, 2020 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 It's a day like no other, with one octogenarian forcing herself into the country under the watchful eye of Passenger Experience Guru Demi. Terminal 4 turns blue, and airside Hugh has a potential environmental mess on his hands. |
September 2, 2020 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1 With only one runway and two terminals open, Heathrow's depleted staff are fighting to keep business going. At the helm is King of Customer Service Demi, dishing out help to all those allowed to travel, including tracking down a missing passenger. |
March 10, 2021 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 Flying for the last time out of Heathrow is the iconic Boeing 747, with plane spotters around the world hoping to bid it a fond farewell. Inside the terminal, it's hello to some new rather robotic members of staff. |
March 17, 2021 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 Christmas is approaching and there's a new kid on the block: British airline, Domestic Carrier Eastern Airways. They're excited to be joining the big names at Heathrow, but one of their busiest flights is scuppered by yet more bad news. |
March 24, 2021 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1 A pilot needs help from the police with a disgruntled passenger, fire engines give a bath to a Boeing 777, and new airline Rwandair deals with some charming travellers. |
July 20, 2022 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 Heathrow deals with hurricane-force winds when Storm Eunice hits, and we go behind the scenes with Airside Rachel trying to deter debris hitting the runway. |
July 27, 2022 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 Get your boarding passes ready as police mount a special operation across the airport, and a five-star airline tries to make a comeback with its business class. |
August 3, 2022 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | ITV1 |
|---|---|
| First aired | June 4, 2015 |
| Last aired | August 24, 2022 |
| Runtime | 25 minutes |
| Status | ended |
| Schedule | Wednesday at 21:00:00 |