
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. Saving Lives At Sea tells the story of the ordinary men and women of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) who are ready to answer their pager’s call and 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\nOver five thousand lifeboat crew volunteers are on standby to launch into the seas, rivers and lakes of the UK and Ireland and when they do they know there are three things they can rely on – their kit, their training and, most importantly, their team. The tight-knit crew at St Davids in Pembrokeshire includes three brothers Hal, Will and Ben, who are all called into action together when a plane makes an emergency crash landing on one of Wales’s busiest beaches, while over two hundreds miles to the south, on Jersey in the Channel Islands the St Catherine crew push their boat and themselves to their limits launching into a winter storm to search for a man missing far out at sea; and on the Wirral the crew of Hoylake launch their specialist rescue hovercraft and race the incoming tide to try and save a horse, stuck fast in mud, from drowning.
Source: 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 ...
30-10-2025
BBC 2
Series 6 (shortened Versions): Episode 8
Each year the volunteer crews of the RNLI respond to around 9,000 call outs, from paddleboarders swept out to sea to sinking fishing boats, from families caught in rip currents ...
23-10-2025
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 ...
16-10-2025
BBC 2
Series 10: 10. Midnight Emergency
In Blackpool, it’s just after midnight when the crew receive reports of a man in the water. After finding him unresponsive, it’s vital to get him urgent medical atte ...
08-10-2025
BBC 2
Series 10: 9. Scuba Diver In Danger
In Plymouth, the crew respond to a mayday call - the highest level of emergency at sea - for a scuba diver who has lost consciousness during a 30-metre dive to a shipwreck. When ...
02-10-2025
BBC 2
Series 10: 8. Kayak Mayday
A kayaker has called a mayday after getting into trouble near the Farne Islands; although he is able to communicate his location via his VHF radio, his voice is faltering, and i ...
23-09-2025
BBC 2
Series 10: 7. Teenager Sos
A frantic mother alerts the lifeguards after six teenagers are cut off by the tide in Watergate Bay, north Cornwall. On Scotland’s east coast, the Anstruther crew race to ...
18-09-2025
BBC 2
Series 10: 6. Hunt For Missing Kayakers
In Portaferry, Northern Ireland, the crew face an increasingly urgent search for two kayakers who’ve been blown out to sea in 50mph winds. In Lyme Regis, on the Dorset coa ...
11-09-2025
BBC 2
Series 10: 5. Into The Eye Of The Storm
A 999 call comes in from the son of a windsurfer in trouble; the Mudeford crew battle 80mph winds in an increasingly desperate search. The Hastings crew race to the rescue of a ...
04-09-2025
BBC 2
Series 10: 4. Yacht On The Rocks
The Newhaven crew make a desperate attempt to convince a solo yachtsman that he needs rescuing; when his anchor line snaps, he is at the mercy of the rolling swells and the stor ...
28-08-2025
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 ...
16-10-2025
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 ...
15-08-2024
BBC 2
Series 6: Episode 10
Last year, the lifeboats around the UK and Ireland came to the aid of over 8,300 people. But no matter what they face when they head out on a shout, all crew members are instill ...
18-03-2023
BBC 2
Series 4: Episode 1
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. Saving Lives At Sea tells the story of the ord ...
05-04-2022
BBC 2
Series 6 (shortened Versions): Episode 9
We rely on our lifeboat crews 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year - they risk their lives saving ours, even in the most challenging conditions.\n\nIn St Davids, on the Pembroke ...
22-11-2023
BBC 2
Series 10: 6. Hunt For Missing Kayakers
In Portaferry, Northern Ireland, the crew face an increasingly urgent search for two kayakers who’ve been blown out to sea in 50mph winds. In Lyme Regis, on the Dorset coa ...
11-09-2025
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 ...
09-05-2024
BBC 2
Series 10: 7. Teenager Sos
A frantic mother alerts the lifeguards after six teenagers are cut off by the tide in Watergate Bay, north Cornwall. On Scotland’s east coast, the Anstruther crew race to ...
18-09-2025
BBC 2
Series 5: Episode 3
The lifeboat crews are on call all year round, but it is in the summer months when they are at their busiest. While the crowds that flock to the coast relax and soak up the sun, ...
22-05-2024
BBC 2
Series 7: 8. Commitment
In Thurso, Scotland’s most northerly mainland station, the crew race to the rescue of an ocean-going rower who has run into trouble 40 miles out to sea. In Dungeness, on t ...
06-07-2024
BBC 2