CUTTHROAT CHICANERY and dastardly derring-do in the alluring, nefarious world of budget airline manufacture. Unlike the bulk of its supposedly internationally renowned fleet, somehow the series got off the ground and piloted a perfunctory course to the end of the 60s before nosing to standstill when its star, PATRICK WYMARK, copped it. Admittedly this longevity was helped by the fact a) its storylines quickly switched from boring discussions about wingspan to eye-bulging barneys in the boardroom and gap-toothed mutterings on the shopfloor, and b) its name quickly switched to The Power Game from the rather insufferable The Plane Makers. Meanwhile BARBARA MURRAY did a fine turn as the boss’s missus, while JACK WATLING, REGINALD MARSH, PETER BARKWORTH and CLIFFORD EVANS tried to make monologues about petroleum distillate sound thrilling.
