Every day in the seas around the UK and Ireland, an army of unpaid volunteers put their lives on the line to save those of others. This series tells the story of the ordinary men and women of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) who are ready to race to the rescue of those in trouble, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, whatever the weather. Using footage shot on the crews' own cameras, this series takes us into the heart of the action, capturing the unpredictable work of the RNLI in unique detail.\n\nFrom first timers at sea to salty old skippers, the wrong conditions can catch anyone off their guard leaving them in need of rescuing. On the east coast of Ireland, the crew of Courtown's inshore lifeboat face one of their most challenging shouts ever - in deep water they must keep a teenage girl with suspected spinal injuries immobile and afloat for 40 minutes, knowing any movement could leave her paralysed for life. Meanwhile on the English Riviera in Devon, the Torbay crew have just minutes to find a capsized kayaker before she is dashed against the rocks, and in Dartmouth, an 81-year-old sailor, fallen overboard in the middle of the night, is left clinging to a rope for his life.
Source: BBC 2
Series 9: 4. First Time For Everything
For every RNLI crew member, the first shout is just the beginning of many firsts.\n\nOn the south western tip of Ireland, Castletownbere crew member Donagh faces a baptism of fi ...
25-04-2024
BBC 2
Series 9: 7. Knife Edge
In the 200 years since the RNLI was founded, its crews have saved the lives of over 146,000 people. But even with all that experience behind them, shouts often balance on a knif ...
23-04-2024
BBC 2
Series 9: 6. Trust
Every one of the RNLI’s crew members brings their own unique skills to the station at which they volunteer. But they’re all united by one key element: trust.\n\nIn H ...
20-04-2024
BBC 2
Series 9: 3. Every Second Counts
Over 5,000 lifeboat volunteers across the UK and Ireland are ready to answer the call to save lives at sea. From the moment their pagers sound, they know that every second count ...
18-04-2024
BBC 2
Series 9: 5. Caught Out
Although the crews of the RNLI know the perils around their coasts, many seaside visitors already need rescuing by the time they become apparent.\n\nIn Queensferry, an American ...
13-04-2024
BBC 2
Series 9: 2. 999
Of the 9,000 shouts the lifeboat crews respond to each year, the vast majority start - as most emergencies do - with a 999 call.\n\nIn Dungeness, the crew are called out to repo ...
11-04-2024
BBC 2
Series 9: 1. Saving Lives At Sea In World War Ii
In this special episode commemorating the 2024 bicentenary of the RNLI, Dermot O’Leary uncovers the untold story of the institution’s heroic efforts in the Second Wo ...
04-04-2024
BBC 2
Series 6 (shortened Versions): Episode 4
Of the calls the RNLI respond to every year, some are a race against the tide while others are against the weather. But all of them are a race against time. The crew at Tower, o ...
29-01-2024
BBC 2
Series 5 (shortened Versions): Episode 6
Every day around the UK and Ireland, an unpaid army of men and women, from artists to undertakers and from priests to poets, are ready to put their lives on the line to save tho ...
19-01-2024
BBC 2
Series 8: 10. Expect The Unexpected
In 2022, the lifeboats around the UK and Ireland launched over 9,300 times. On each and every shout, the crews must expect the unexpected.\n\nOn the Isle of Wight, the Bembridge ...
15-12-2023
BBC 2
Series 3: Episode 9
Every day in the seas around the UK and Ireland, an army of unpaid volunteers put their lives on the line to save those of others. This series tells the story of the ordinary me ...
27-11-2020
BBC 2
Series 9: 6. Trust
Every one of the RNLI’s crew members brings their own unique skills to the station at which they volunteer. But they’re all united by one key element: trust.\n\nIn H ...
20-04-2024
BBC 2
Series 7: 4. Pressure
On Ireland’s north west coast, the crew at Bundoran race to the rescue of a teenage girl who has been swept out to sea by a rip current. In Portishead, north Somerset, a m ...
27-09-2022
BBC 2
Series 6: Episode 8
When the crews step onto their lifeboats, they work as a team - and teamwork is key to every rescue. On Ireland’s south east coast, the three crews at Dunmore East, Kilmor ...
16-03-2023
BBC 2
Series 5: Episode 10
When the pagers sound, sending lifeboats into the waters of the UK and Ireland, the crews on board rely on both their training and experience to bring casualties home safely to ...
29-05-2022
BBC 2
Series 5 (shortened Versions): Episode 9
Last year, the lifeboat crews and lifeguards around the UK and Ireland raced to the aid of over 9,400 people, but all the volunteers know that, when the pager goes off, not ever ...
02-11-2021
BBC 2
Series 8: 7. Motley Crew
For generations, the RNLI was almost exclusively crewed by fishermen and seafarers. But now, the volunteers are from all walks of life, with one common purpose: saving lives at ...
24-11-2023
BBC 2
Series 9: 1. Saving Lives At Sea In World War Ii
In this special episode commemorating the 2024 bicentenary of the RNLI, Dermot O’Leary uncovers the untold story of the institution’s heroic efforts in the Second Wo ...
04-04-2024
BBC 2
Episode 06-03-2022
Every day in the seas around the UK and Ireland, an army of unpaid volunteers put their lives on the line to save those of others. This series tells the story of the ordinary me ...
06-03-2022
BBC 2
Series 6: Episode 3
Every lifeboat volunteer undergoes hundreds of hours of training to get them up to the level of expertise needed to join a crew. But even with the best instruction available, a ...
15-11-2023
BBC 2