British Airways is releasing a new flight safety video featuring some of Britain’s most notable faces, in partnership with Comic Relief. See why it’s our video viral of the week below…
The tongue and cheek video sees various stars ‘audition’ for a role in the new video.
Oscar nominated star Chiwetel Ejiofor is told the part could be his “big break,” celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay fills in for legendary actress Joanna Lumley, and Thandie Newton is praised for her powerful performance when describing where the nearest exits are.
Other stars like Ian McKellen and Gillian Anderson also audition for the critical director, played by comedian Asim Chaudhry.
Even Rowan Atknison breaks out a Mr. Bean cameo to make a donation to the airline’s Flying Start initiative.
The purpose for the video to make sure passengers pay attention to the safety instructions and also raise awareness of the global charity partnership between British Airways and Comic Relief with a goal of raising £20 million ($26 million) by 2020.
It will be shown on all BA flights starting September 1, but the airline pre-released the video in hopes of garnering even more attention for the cause.
“It’s extremely important to us that customers engage with our safety video, and involving some of the nation’s most well-known personalities has given us the chance to create something fun that we hope people will watch from start to finish—and remember,” said Alex Cruz, British Airways’ chairman and CEO, in a statement. “We’ve worked with Comic Relief since 2010 and our customers have already helped us generate £16.5 million for great causes. We hope the new video will enable us to exceed our goal of raising £20 million by 2020.”