''Above and Beyond'' is a four-hour 2006

miniseries In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...

aired by the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is the Canadian Public broadcasting, public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a Crown corporation that serves as the national public broadcaster, with its E ...

on October 29 and 30, 2006. It stars

Richard E. Grant Richard E. Grant (born Richard Grant Esterhuysen; 5 May 1957) is an Eswatini-born English actor and presenter. He made his film debut as Withnail in the comedy '' Withnail and I'' (1987). Grant received critical acclaim for his role as Jack H ...

Jonathan Scarfe Jonathan Scarfe (born December 16, 1975) is a Canadian film and television actor, director, and producer. 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 ...

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 ...

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 series ...

Kenneth Welsh Kenneth Clifford Welsh, (March 30, 1942 – May 5, 2022) was a Canadian actor, who made over 300 stage, film, and television appearances over a nearly 60-year career. Educated at the National Theatre School, he was a member of the Stratford S ...

and

Jason Priestley Jason Bradford Priestley (born August 28, 1969) is a Canadian-American actor and television director. Priestly starred as virtuous Brandon Walsh on the television series ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (1990–1998, 2000). His other television roles in ...

. The miniseries deals with the

Atlantic Ferry Organization The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

, 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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

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 William Maxwell Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook (25 May 1879 – 9 June 1964), was a Canadian-British newspaper publisher and backstage politician who was an influential figure in British media and politics of the first half of the 20th century ...

, head of the UK

Ministry of Aircraft Production Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister * Ministry (government department), a department of a government Religion * Christian mi ...

, also arranged for the purchase of aircraft from manufacturers in the United States. Aircraft were first transported to Dorval Airport near

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

and then flown to RCAF Station Gander in

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

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 ...

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 A ...

. 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

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 Fo ...

, former RAF pilot *

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 Sidney Edmond Jocelyn Ackland (29 February 1928 – 19 November 2023) was an English actor who appeared in more than 130 film, radio and television roles. He was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for portraying ...

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...

, UK Prime Minister * Peter Messaline as

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 (UK), Li ...

Secretary of State for Air The Secretary of State for Air was a secretary of state position in the British government that existed from 1919 to 1964. The person holding this position was in charge of the Air Ministry. The Secretary of State for Air was supported by ...

as Sir

Frederick Banting Sir Frederick Grant Banting (November 14, 1891 – February 21, 1941) was a Canadian pharmacologist, orthopedist, and field surgeon. For his co-discovery of insulin and its therapeutic potential, Banting was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physi ...

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 Support ...

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 actor who has an extensive career in Canadian and American film and television, for which he has won a Gemini Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Supporting Role in a ...

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,

, Canada. Other locations included

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

and

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a 2021 Canadian census, population of 569,353 (2021), and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which encompasses ...

, 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 co ...

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 Computer-generated imagery (CGI) is a specific-technology or application of computer graphics for creating or improving images in Digital art, art, Publishing, printed media, Training simulation, simulators, videos and video games. These images ...

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

Avro Lancaster The Avro Lancaster, commonly known as the Lancaster Bomber, is a British World War II, Second World War heavy bomber. It was designed and manufactured by Avro as a contemporary of the Handley Page Halifax, both bombers having been developed to ...

bomber. The

DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by the 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 ...

shown in the first hour is equipped with modern

turboprop A turboprop is a Gas turbine, gas turbine engine that drives an aircraft Propeller (aeronautics), propeller. A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction drive, reduction gearbox, gas compressor, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propellin ...

engines. One scene shows a

de Havilland Chipmunk The de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk (or Chippie) is a tandem, two-seat, single-engined primary trainer aircraft designed and developed by Canadian aircraft manufacturer de Havilland Canada. It was developed shortly after the Second World Wa ...

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 "Hap" Arnold (25 June 1886 – 15 January 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 (1938–1 ...

, in 1944. A modern

dial tone A dial tone (dialling tone in the UK) is a telephony 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 Thermionic emission is the liberation of charged particles from a hot electrode whose thermal energy gives some particles enough kinetic energy to escape the material's surface. The particles, sometimes called ''thermions'' in early literature, ar ...

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 ...

Gemini Award The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's English-language television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in t ...

s: ** 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 Pam Hall is a Jamaican reggae singer whose career began in the 1970s. Career Hall recorded as a solo artist from the mid-1970s as well as providing backing vocals for several other artists including Jimmy Cliff, Judy Mowatt, Beres Hammond, D ...

, 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 (WGC) is a trade union representing professional writers working in film, television, radio, and digital media production in Canada. Members of the WGC write dramatic TV series, feature films, Movies of the Week, do ...

'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

* * {{rotten-tomatoes, id=1174318-above_and_beyond, title=Above and Beyond 2000s Canadian television miniseries Aviation television series CBC Television original films English-language Canadian films Canadian drama television films Television series about the United States Army Air Forces