Dalek welcomes British Airways customers at Heathrow
October 30, 2023
British Airways customers were surprised to find a special guest, a Dalek, while travelling through Heathrow’s Terminal 5 on October 27th.
One of Doctor Who’s fearsome foes was seen keeping a watchful eye over British Airways’ arriving customers. The Dalek also mysteriously appeared in departures where confused customers spotted one of the planet’s best-known villains checking in for a flight to Skaro, an extra-terrestrial destination that isn’t normally on British Airways’ route network.
The unscheduled arrival of the Dalek in British Airways’ home at Heathrow Terminal 5 marked the new partnership between British Airways and BBC Studios to celebrate Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary, which includes the launch of a dedicated Doctor Who in-flight entertainment channel, available for all the airline’s customers travelling on long-haul flights from November 1st. The new channel features 13 acclaimed episodes of the longest running science fiction television series in the world.
Calum Laming, British Airways’ Chief Customer Officer, said: “We are really excited to be partnering with the BBC’s Doctor Who to create a dedicated channel on our inflight entertainment system, another fantastic British Original partnership that we know our customers will love. This year alone we have doubled the amount of content available on our in-flight entertainment, and we are committed to continue to bring the best, out of this world, entertainment to the skies.”
Sarah Bold, Head of Marketing, Scripted at BBC Studios, added: “Doctor Who has been inspiring and entertaining audiences globally for an incredible 60 years and we couldn’t miss this opportunity to bring two iconic British brands together in style to celebrate. Travellers and subscribers will be able to enjoy a curated collection of content and the tie in will reach millions of people throughout the partnership.”The new Doctor Who inflight entertainment channel on board British Airways’ flights, to celebrate the 60th Anniversary, includes 13 different episodes from series 1-13 Alongside this customers can enjoy up to 80+ box sets and over 700 pieces of audio. In November, customers can enjoy New Release movies such as Scrapper, The Haunted Mansion and Meg 2: The Trench.
Doctor Who returns from November 25th on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK and Disney+ in the rest of the world with three special episodes with David Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor to coincide with the 60th anniversary. The Fifteenth Doctor, played by Ncuti Gatwa, will then take control of the TARDIS, with his first episode airing over the festive period in 2023.
Ncuti Gatwa also features in British Airways’ latest safety video.