Reaching for the Skies was an aviation documentary TV series made by BBC Pebble Mill (with John Gau Productions) in association with CBS Fox. The first episode was transmitted in the United Kingdom on 12 September 1988 and in the US in 1989.
Narrated by British actor Anthony Quayle, and by Robert Vaughn for its American and International releases, it was divided into 12 programs (each of around 55 minutes' duration). The series producer was Ivan Rendall. Music used was mainly sourced from KPM Musichouse.
Production content
The series included many aerial sequences specifically filmed for the series, together with archive footage. This was combined with interviews of those involved, the aerial footage was usually accompanied by music sequences.
The series interviewed many famous aviators, usually against a black backdrop, including Chuck Yeager, Scott Crossfield, Jimmy Doolittle, Bob Hoover, Sir Frank Whittle, Hanna Reitsch, and Captain Eric "Winkle" Brown.
Music
A large amount of the music featured in the series was sourced from KPM Musichouse composers such as Rod Argent, Bob Howes, and Graham de Wilde. In selected scenes, this production music was blended with aerial footage shot from mostly unusual angles. As the music is production music, the songs are not available for the general public, however, media personnel may license the music in their productions for a nominal fee.
The title music song, entitled "The Moment of Triumph", was created by Roger Limb of the BBC Radiophonic workshop and performed by Rod Argent and Bob Howes.
Episodes
12 episodes were filmed, first transmitted in the UK on BBC2 on the 12/9/1988. The episodes are listed below, along with accompanying background text from the VHS Videos: