The Secret Life of the Airport

Preparing for Take Off (1x1)

: 15, 2009

Three-part series charting the development of Britain's airports and how they have transformed the country, in the process creating both freedom and fear. This part takes us from the heady, imperial glamour of Britain's first airport terminal at Croydon to the internationally-agreed hieroglyphics on today's taxiways and runways. Using rare archive and access to airports' hidden corners, it reveals the intense local rivalry, skulduggery and sheer passion for flight behind our airports. Contributors include architect Lord Foster, philosopher and author Alain de Botton, veterans of Britain's interwar airports and a 'wildlife control co-ordinator', talking about how, in 100 years, the muddy airfield became the 24-hour airport.