Piece of Cake was a six part 1988 television series, depicting the life of a Royal Air Force fighter squadron from the day of the British entry into World War II through to one of the toughest days in the Battle of Britain (7 September, 1940). The series was produced by London Weekend Television.

The series is based on the 1983 novel of the same name, by Derek Robinson. In the book, the squadron is equipped with Hurricanes. The relative rarity of airworthy Hurricanes in the late 1980s precluded their use in the television series.

The squadron depicted was the fictional Hornet Squadron, which was equipped with Supermarine Spitfire fighters, and deployed to France, where it waited out the Phoney War in comfort and elegance, until the German attack on Western Europe in May 1940. One by one, nearly all of the original pilots were killed and as losses mounted, the character of the squadron changed from a casual nonchalance to a fight for survival. By the end of the series, only four of the original fourteen officers had survived.

oggy' Cattermole: Who's going to win the Golf Cup sir? r Commodore Bletchley: Not bloody Hitler!

teele-Stebbing mentions Eastbourne as a possible landing site for a German invasion] oggy' Cattermole: Steady on, Amanda, I have several maiden aunts living in Eastbourne!

oggy' Cattermole: [Squadron Song] Our name is Hornet Squadron, no bloody good are we. We cannot shoot, we can not fight, nor march like infantry. But when it comes to pay parade, we shout with all our might: Per Ardua ad Astra, Up yours Jack we're alright.

ticky' Stickwell: I will get double pneumonia ncle' Kellaway: You're young fit chaps, nonsense! ticky' Stickwell: I should have listened to my mother, she's always knitting things oggy' Cattermole: Was that how she made you?

lash' Gordon: Bomber Command have dropped leaflets on Hamburg and Bremmen ticky' Stickwell: They should drop Moggy

ticky' Stickwell: Damn good show, Fanny! anny' Barton: I think we recruited ourselves rather well! ip' Patterson: You got the first kill! Do you realise that? HORNET got the first kill!

hile flying in the air, retreating from battle] other' Cox: Is that you, Moggy? oggy' Cattermole: Yes, indeed as I live and breathe. You okay? other' Cox: I've lost my fingers! oggy' Cattermole: That's a bit careless, old boy. Have you ever seen Peter Pan? other' Cox: What do you mean? oggy' Cattermole: Well, don't you remember Captain Hook? I mean, he got by. I think they can do anything these days other' Cox: Thanks a lot, Moggy! oggy' Cattermole: How are you going to land? other' Cox: I don't know. My mother is going to be furious about this!

oggy' Cattermole: [to the young pilot climbing into Moggy's Spitfire] Have you got a licence, old boy? This happens to be my kite!

ristopher Hart III: Any action? oggy' Cattermole: Not here, old boy, It's illegal in this war.

erial scene] anny' Barton: Red two, where the hell are you going? oggy' Cattermole: I thought I'd catch last orders... sorry 'Jester' leader.

light Lieutenant Marriot is trying to acquire some materials for the repair of the damaged Spitfires] anny' Barton: The spares depot is only thirty miles from here icky' Marriott: I've tried. "No form, no spares". We need a bloody form to get a form.

letchley, Fanny, Uncle and Skull are having a discussion about the shooting down of Red Cross rescue planes] kull' Skelton: Far be it for me to question Fighter Command's orders. r Commodore Bletchley: But I'm sure you will? kull' Skelton: Not at all, sir. But if the Luftwaffe has planes that can pinpoint pilots in the channel, why not us? r Commodore Bletchley: We're not supposed to think of everything you know. kull' Skelton: Ah, sir. r Commodore Bletchley: Does that answer your question? kull' Skelton: Absolutely, sir.

r Commodore Bletchley: Didn't somebody say that war is a nasty business? Quite good for promotion, though.

ast lines] ncle' Kellaway: On this day, the 7th of September 1940, the Luftwaffe had launched its biggest ever raid against Britain with nearly one thousand German aircrafts attacking London. The pilots of the Luftwaffe had been told that the Royal Airforce was near breaking point. But the Fighter Command did not break. And this day was the turning-point in the Battle of Britain.

kull' Skelton: They used to say women and children first. oggy' Cattermole: Did they? But they can't fly Spitfires, can they?