The first of our new Big Finish Originals range, ATA Girl is a fictionalised full-cast audio drama series inspired by the heroic female pilots of the Air Transport Auxiliary during World War Two. They saw and experienced firsthand the struggles of both civilian and military life in wartime, and their actions helped pave the way for a more equal society.

“I first heard of these brave women a decade ago, and the potential that lay in their untold story fired my imagination,” says creator of ATA Girl, Louise Jameson. “Big Finish invited me to pitch for a series, mixing fact with fiction, so we could bring these World War Two pilots to life. The very next day they came back to me with a 'yes'.

“Four one-hour dramas (all by female writers) and a host of marvellous actors later, we have a breathtaking, moving, dynamic series, affectionately known as ATA Girl. These unsung heroines have finally been given a voice.”

This project pays homage to its pioneering roots with a predominantly female cast and production team. Producer Helen Goldwyn explains: “As the themes throughout each episode were so resolutely female and embedded in the experience of ‘being a woman’, director Louise Jameson and I agreed that it would be interesting to work with an all-female production team on this occasion. The only exception was our script editor, John Dorney, who shall henceforth be known as an honorary woman!

“And what a joy the process has been. There’s definitely something magical about the energy in a roomful of creative women, all focused on the same goal.”

For the next 48 hours you can download the first episode of this brand new series for free. 

1.1 Up in the Air by Gemma Page

It’s March 1944 and young widow Daphne Coyne arrives at the Air Transport Auxiliary, having signed up to train as a new pilot. Already unsure of her decision, she is shocked to find that her estranged younger sister, Rebecca, has also joined the ATA, hoping for a chance of reconciliation. As Daphne grows close to her flying instructor, the injured former RAF pilot, David, and discovers an unexpected passion for flying, the two sisters try to navigate their broken relationship. But David has family trapped in Belgium and Daphne has a plan that could jeopardise all of their futures…

This offer expires 23:59 UK time on 09/03/2018

ATA Girl is available for pre-order now at £17 on download, and/or it will be available at £20 on download on its release in April.

The complete Big Finish Originals range is also available in a pre-order bundle of £120, as well as each series being available as individual downloads.

Keep checking the Big Finish website for more details on this and other upcoming Big Finish Originals. And let us know what you think of the first episode of our Big Finish Originals range on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.