British Airways Comic Relief airline safety video: Gordon Ramsay, Gillian Anderson, Ian McKellen and Mr Bean star in comedy video

British Airways has released a new and very goofy airline safety video featuring iconic British celebrities, including Gillian Anderson, Gordon Ramsay and Ian McKellen.

The airline is not alone when it comes to using celebrities to inject entertainment and pizzazz into what is rather a dull but crucial message – inflight safety rules and procedures.

Air New Zealand is famousfor its safety videos after its viralLord of the Rings and Hobbit-themed efforts, and most recently, using US actor Anna Faris in its 2016 video. Qantas followed the formula releasing one in January this year which doubled as a tourism ad, while Air France took a more stylistic approach with its 2015 video that was more like a fashion shoot than a safety announcement.

British Airways, however, took a surprisingly (but not-so-surprising) British approach to its new video airline safety video. Think, Bridget Jones' Diary, Four Weddings and a Funeral and Love Actually. If you don't like watching any of those movies, or even worse, don't understand the British sense of humour, the director's cut, a six-minute long version of the video, could be very painful experience to watch.

For those who love British humour (like myself) it's a delightful and informative video filled with unequivocal British politeness and wit. The Brits prove that there's no need for fancy props and OTT beautiful scenery to be funny. All you need is some awkward pauses, some F-bombs from Gordon Ramsay and to end it with the ever comical Rowan Atkinson as Mr Bean.

The approach keeps the two key aims of British Airways' new video clear to viewers – to make sure passengers pay attention to inflight safety procedures and to raise awareness for global charity partnership between British Airways and Comic Relief, which raises money for children living it tough.

The new British Airways video can be viewed onboard from September 1, 2017.

See also: Do funny airline safety videos actually work?

See also: The top 10 airline safety videos named by a film critic