Painstakingly restored to its former glory, Angels One Five is amongst the very best war epics to depict the Battle of Britain. The film is highly regarded for both its stripped-bare, documentary-style aesthetic and its depiction of people on the frontline of the Second World War. Based on director George More O’Ferrall’s own WW2 experience at Fighter Command HQ, the film offers a powerful slice-of-life depiction of aerial combat.

In the summer of 1940, young volunteer reservist T.B. ‘Septic’ Baird (John Gregson, The Longest Day) is forced to crash his Hurricane on the RAF fighter station runway in order to avoid a collision with another plane. Injured in the accident, he incurs the wrath of Squadron leader ‘Tiger’ Small (Jack Hawkins, Zulu), who grounds Baird, transferring him to the operations center until he recovers. Baird is desperate to get airborne, but Tiger refuses his protests. However, when risk of a bombing attack threatens the airfield, Baird takes his chance to be reinstated and returns to the skies.