Unforgotten star Sanjeev Bhaskar is set to take on a different challenge before he returns to cracking cold cases.
The actor is back for Yesterday’s new season of Secrets of the Transport Museum, which arrives next week.
The show takes viewers behind-the-scenes of Surrey’s Brooklands Museum, introducing them to its enthusiastic volunteers and the historic artefacts they work hard to preserve.
As it turns out, Bhaskar had a personal connection with one such artefact – a Concorde aircraft.
Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com, Bhaskar recalled what it was like flying on the French/English supersonic passenger-carrying commercial aeroplane (the first of its kind), and how the series brought back memories he had long forgotten.
“I don’t think [producers] were aware that I had travelled on Concorde at the time that they mentioned it to me. So that was really exciting for me to revisit,” he explained. “And with my childhood kind of interest being in planes and cars, to go there for the day and experience in very different ways both of those things was wonderful.”
He added: “It’s interesting with the Concorde thing, because I have very vivid memories of travelling on Concorde despite having drunk as much as I possibly could while I was on the plane in the excitement, but I still remember it all very vividly. But there’s something about being back on that plane or in situ that brings back a different sense of memories.
“I remember being in the cockpit during the flight. But actually going into the cockpit this time, the memories were that much sharper. And sitting in the seats, or working out roughly where I sat, I then remembered, for instance, the guy that had the misfortune to sit next to me on the actual plane. And I hadn’t thought about that, until you know, I actually visited the aircraft itself at Brooklands.”
The actor revealed that even walking up to the aircraft was “a rush”.
“It was New York to London was the one trip that I did,” he said. “And I think going up the steps and then remembering just quite how narrow the aircraft is, it was like a dart.”
Despite the awkward shape, Bhaskar still thinks it’s a “beautiful” aircraft “unlike any other aircraft in the sky.”
He explained: “There was nothing like it. And also, now I think about it, it was also the closest in shape to a paper plane. So you know, all those things were exciting. And as I said, remembering the poor sod who had to sit next to me on the plane.
“He was obviously some kind of, you know, wealthy CEO or something and he was sitting next to a freeloader, and a freeloader who couldn’t hide it. I remember when the stewardess came and said, ‘Would you like red or white wine with your meal?’ I just said. ‘Yeah.’ She said, ‘Well, which one?’ I said, ‘Well, both!’. So yeah, I remember this slight kind of ignoring disgust that he had towards me.”
Additional reporting by Patrick Cremona.
Secrets of the Transport Museum returns to Yesterday channel every Tuesday at 8pm from 1st February. Looking for something else to watch? Check out our TV Guide or visit our dedicated Documentaries hub for the latest news.