''Above and Beyond'' is a four-hour 2006 miniseries aired by the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...

on October 29 and 30, 2006. It stars Richard E. Grant,

Jonathan Scarfe Jonathan Scarfe (born December 16, 1975) is a Canadian film and television actor. Early life He was born in Toronto, Ontario, to actors Alan Scarfe and Sara Botsford. He dropped out of high school at age 15, and at the age of 16 he spent a yea ...

Liane Balaban Liane Balaban (born June 24, 1980) is a Canadian actress. Her film debut was in ''New Waterford Girl'' (1999) as Agnes-Marie "Mooney" Pottie. She has since appeared in the films '' Definitely, Maybe'' (2008), ''Last Chance Harvey'' (2008), and th ...

Allan Hawco Allan Hawco is a Canadian writer, actor, and producer from Bell Island, Newfoundland. He is best known for his roles in the series '' Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan'', ''Republic of Doyle'', and '' The Book of Negroes'', and the television limited seri ...

Kenneth Welsh Kenneth Welsh, (March 30, 1942 – May 5, 2022) was a Canadian film and television actor. He was best known as the multi-faceted villain Windom Earle in ''Twin Peaks'', for his roles in the films '' The Day After Tomorrow'', ''Adoration'', '' S ...

and

Jason Priestley Jason Bradford Priestley (born August 28, 1969) is a Canadian actor and television director. He is best known as the virtuous Brandon Walsh on the television series ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (1990–1998, 2000), as Richard "Fitz" Fitzpatrick in t ...

. The miniseries deals with the

Atlantic Ferry Organization RAF Ferry Command was the secretive Royal Air Force command formed on 20 July 1941 to ferry urgently needed aircraft from their place of manufacture in the United States and Canada, to the front line operational units in Britain, Europe, North Af ...

, tasked with ferrying aircraft from North America to Europe in the early years of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

Plot

In 1940, Canadian weapons of war, including newly manufactured aircraft ordered by the British, have to be delivered to the United Kingdom. Lord Beaverbrook, head of the UK Ministry of Aircraft Production, also arranged for the purchase of aircraft from manufacturers in the United States. Aircraft were first transported to

Dorval Airport Dorval () is an on-island suburban city on the island of Montreal in southwestern Quebec, Canada. In 2016, the Canadian Census indicated that the population increased by 4.2% to 18,980. Although the city has the largest surface area in Montré ...

near

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

and then flown to RCAF Station Gander in Newfoundland for the transatlantic flight. The initial ferry flight of seven

Lockheed Hudson The Lockheed Hudson is a light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built by the American Lockheed Aircraft Corporation. It was initially put into service by the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War and p ...

bombers from Gander Airport in Newfoundland took place on November 10, 1940. In 1941, the Atlantic Ferry Organization was set up, with civilian pilots flying the aircraft to the UK. The organization was handed over to the Air Ministry, becoming the

RAF Ferry Command RAF Ferry Command was the secretive Royal Air Force command formed on 20 July 1941 to ferry urgently needed aircraft from their place of manufacture in the United States and Canada, to the front line operational units in Britain, Europe, North Af ...

. More than 9,000 aircraft were ferried across the north Atlantic and, by the end of the war, the operation helped make transatlantic flying a safe and commonplace event."Ferrying Aircraft Overseas."
''Juno Beach Centre''. Retrieved: October 15, 2014.

Cast

* Richard E. Grant as

Don Bennett Air Vice Marshal Donald Clifford Tyndall Bennett, (14 September 1910 – 15 September 1986) was an Australian aviation pioneer and bomber pilot who rose to be the youngest air vice marshal in the Royal Air Force. He led the "Pathfinder F ...

, former RAF pilot *

as Lord Beaverbrook,

Minister of Aircraft Production The Minister of Aircraft Production was, from 1940 to 1945, the British government minister at the Ministry of Aircraft Production, one of the specialised supply ministries set up by the British Government during World War II. It was responsible ...

* Joss Ackland as

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...

, UK Prime Minister *

Peter Messaline Peter Messaline (9 April 1944 – 8 December 2016) was an English-Canadian actor. Born in London, he attended Queen Mary College, London University, where he read Physics and Geography. His first TV job was voicing the Daleks in the 1972 ''D ...

Archibald Sinclair Archibald Henry Macdonald Sinclair, 1st Viscount Thurso, (22 October 1890 – 15 June 1970), known as Sir Archibald Sinclair between 1912 and 1952, and often as Archie Sinclair, was a British politician and leader of the Liberal Party. Backgr ...

, Secretary of State for Air *

as Sir

Frederick Banting Sir Frederick Grant Banting (November 14, 1891 – February 21, 1941) was a Canadian medical scientist, physician, painter, and Nobel laureate noted as the co-discoverer of insulin and its therapeutic potential. In 1923, Banting and Joh ...

as Bill Jacobson *

as Shelagh Emberly *

as Nathan Burgess *

Peter MacNeill Peter MacNeill is a Canadian film and television actor and voice-over artist who has starred in numerous television series and films. His film credits have included '' The Hanging Garden'' (for which MacNeill won a Genie Award for Best Suppo ...

USAAF The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

Gen. Anderson *

Robert Wisden Robert Charles Wisden ( Brighton, 2 June 1958) is an English-born, Canadian actor who has an extensive career in Canadian and American film and television, for which he has won a Gemini Award. Best known for playing U.S. President Richard Nixo ...

as Pritchard, RAF officer * Aaron Bishop as Pilot #11 * Travis Pritchett as Pilot #10

Production

Principal photography for ''Above and Beyond'' took place at Gander and St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada. Other locations included

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

and

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a Canada 2016 Census, population of 569,353, and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington, ...

, Canada. A period-accurate Lockheed Hudson Mk IIIA bomber belonging to the North Atlantic Aviation Museum in Gander, Newfoundland, featured prominently in the filming. A Beech 18S on display at the museum was also used. The

Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum is an aviation museum located at the John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport in Mount Hope, Ontario, Canada. The museum has 47 military jets and propeller-driven aircraft on display. Displayed is a ...

at Mount Hope, Ontario, with an extensive collection of wartime aircraft, was another prominent filming location. All flying scenes were staged with computer-generated imagery.

Historical accuracy

Despite attention to detail, a number of historical inaccuracies in ''Above and Beyond'' were noted. The "B-24" used by the

general is actually an

RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

Avro Lancaster bomber. The

DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper version ...

shown in the first hour is equipped with modern

turboprop A turboprop is a turbine engine that drives an aircraft propeller. A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction gearbox, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propelling nozzle. Air enters the intake and is compressed by the compressor. ...

engines. One scene shows a de Havilland Chipmunk trainer in a hangar but there were none in service in 1940; the first one flew in 1946."Above and Beyond."
''The Internet Movie Plane Database''. Retrieved: October 16, 2014. Other discrepancies include the American general wearing five stars indicating the rank of General of the Army, a grade only achieved during the Second World War by Army Air Corps officer

Hap Arnold Henry Harley Arnold (June 25, 1886 – January 15, 1950) was an American general officer holding the ranks of General of the Army and later, General of the Air Force. Arnold was an aviation pioneer, Chief of the Air Corps (1938–1941), ...

, in 1944. A modern

dial tone A dial tone is a telephony Signaling (telecommunication), signal sent by a telephone exchange or private branch exchange (PBX) to a terminating device, such as a telephone, when an off-hook condition is detected. It indicates that the exchange is ...

could be heard during overseas telephone calls between Bennett and Lord Beaverbrook. Air-traffic control equipment under repair contained TO-3 transistors instead of

thermionic valve A vacuum tube, electron tube, valve (British usage), or tube (North America), is a device that controls electric current flow in a high vacuum between electrodes to which an electric potential difference has been applied. The type known as a ...

Reception

''Above and Beyond'' was well received. Reviewer Andrew Melomet noted, "If you're looking for a historical drama covering an overlooked and previously untold story, you'll enjoy Above and Beyond."Melomet, Andrew
""Above and Beyond Miniseries."
''St. Mihiel Trip-Wire'', April 2007. Retrieved: October 16, 2014.

Awards

Directors Guild of Canada The Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) is a Canadian labour union representing more than 5,500 professionals from 48 different occupations in the Canadian film and television industry. Founded in 1962, the DGC represents directors, editors, assist ...

's Craft Awards: ** Direction - Television Movie/Mini-Series — Sturla Gunnarsson (won) ** Picture Editing - Television Movie/Mini-Series — Jeff Warren (won) ** Sound Editing - Television Movie/Mini-Series — David Rose, Kathy Choi, Jane Tattersall (nominated) *

Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television is a Canadian non-profit organization created in 1979 to recognize the achievements of the over 4,000 Canadian cinema of Canada, film industry and television in Canada, television industry professionals ...

's Gemini Awards: ** Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series — Jonathan Scarfe (won) ** Best Original Music Score for a Program or Mini-Series —

Jonathan Goldsmith Jonathan Goldsmith (born September 26, 1938) is an American character actor. He began his career on the New York stage, then started a career in film and television. He appeared in several TV shows from the 1960s to the 1990s. He is best known ...

(nominated) ** Best Production Design or Art Direction in a Fiction Program or Series — Pam Hall, Ane Christensen (nominated) ** Best Sound in a Dramatic Program — Henry Embry, Steph Carrier, Ronayne Higginson, Dino Pigat, David Rose, Jane Tattersall (nominated) ** Best Visual Effects — Peter Evans, Darryl Couch, Chris Darlington, Mike Mombourquette, Michael Skiffington, John Vatcher, David Woodrow (nominated) ** Best Writing in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series — John W. Doyle, Lisa Porter (nominated) *

Writers Guild of Canada The Writers Guild of Canada is an organization representing more than 2,500 professional writers working in film, television, radio, and digital media production in Canada. Members of the Guild write dramatic TV series, feature films, Movies o ...

's WGC Awards: ** MOW & Miniseries — John W. Doyle, Lisa Porter (won)

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Christie, Carl A. and F.J. Hatch. ''Ocean Bridge: The History of RAF Ferry Command''. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: University of Toronto Press, 1995. . * Delve, Ken. ''The Source Book of the RAF''. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd., 1994. .
"Atlantic Ferry."
''Flight'', December 1941.

External links

* * * {{Amg movie, 384348, Above and Beyond Films about the United States Army Air Forces 2000s Canadian television miniseries Aviation television series CBC Television original films English-language Canadian films Canadian drama television films