Movie Legends Use Humor and History in BA Safety Video

British Airways (BA) has released a humorous new period drama-themed safety video to help alert passengers to life-saving rules and laws. 

The five minute movie features more than 40 BA staff who were filmed in historic UK country piles, inspired by Britain’s richly diverse history made famous through literature, television and movies. 

BA commissioned Bridget Jones’s Diary director, Sharon Maguire, to direct the feature for long-haul flights, including Tokyo to London, that will premiere on August first.

“We put together a dream team of industry legends,” said Maguire.

Costumes were designed by three-time Oscar winner Jenny Beavan (Mad Max: Fury Road, The King’s Speech and Cruella) and accents taught by dialect coach Jill McCullough (Star Wars, Chernobyl and Mamma Mia!).

The film depicts ladies, lords, housekeepers and butlers being abruptly interrupted by present-day British Airways colleagues demonstrating the safety briefing.

Helen Lau plays herself. “As a First Officer, my job means I am in the flight deck during the safety briefing, so to know that I will be appearing on the video in the cabins feels very surreal. I love the closing line which says ‘stay safe, look after one another and never change,’ which featured in the previous video, and I hope is carried onto the next. It’s such a touching and uniting phrase,” said Lua.

In addition to British Airways, SriLankan Airlines also did a humorous safety video about their life-saving rules and laws: