
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\nFrom seasoned skippers to seaside day trippers the unpredictable seas around our coastline can catch anyone out at any time, and more often than not it’s the RNLI who come to their rescue. The crew at Salcombe in Devon are called out to one of the most dangerous emergencies at sea – fire – a fishing boat has gone up in flames with her skipper still on board. On the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, the crew of Sheerness lifeboat station get a late night call and have to race the incoming tide to save a man stuck in freezing mud after an evening stroll along the coast turns into a battle for survival. While at one of the busiest stations in the UK, Chiswick on the River Thames in London, an emergency call comes in, a dog has fallen into the Thames closely followed by its owner, who after trying to save her dog from drowning now needs rescuing herself.
Source: BBC 2
Series 11: 4. Young Surf Hero
A teenage boy rushes to help save a paralysed surfer from drowning. When a 999 call comes in, the Appledore crew are tasked with an immediate launch. \n\nIn Little and Broad Hav ...
20-10-2026
BBC 2
Series 11: 7. Yacht On The Reef
A French yacht has made a mayday call after suffering mechanical failure near Jersey. The St Helier crew must rescue the vessel before it drifts onto a notoriously treacherous r ...
17-10-2026
BBC 2
Series 11: 9. Rip Current Surfer
The Porthcawl crew’s training night is disrupted when a call comes from a dog walker who has spotted a surfer in trouble below the cliffs at nearby Rest Bay.\n\nDuring the ...
13-10-2026
BBC 2
Series 11: 6. Lifeguard Emergency
In Watergate Bay, one of Cornwall’s surfing hotspots, two teenage boys are caught in one of the beach’s notorious rip currents.\n\nWhen three distress signals are ac ...
11-10-2026
BBC 2
Series 11: 8. Paddleboard 999
On the Northumberland coast, a 999 call comes in from a distressed woman whose husband is drifting out to sea on a paddleboard; the Seahouses crew race out to locate him.\n\nIn ...
07-10-2026
BBC 2
Series 11: 5. Searching For A Pulse
When a kayaker calls a friend to say she’s in trouble out at sea, the line suddenly goes dead; the Happisburgh lifeboat crew finally find her over a mile off shore, face d ...
04-10-2026
BBC 2
Series 11: 4. Teenage Mayday
A mayday comes in from a French yacht 16 miles west of St Helier, in the Channel Islands; on board are two teenage girls whose father is unconscious. On the Firth of Tay, the Br ...
27-09-2026
BBC 2
Series 11: 3. Family Sos
The Newbiggin crew race to the rescue of three children who have been swept out to sea on a small inflatable dinghy; the situation escalates when reports come in that the father ...
24-09-2026
BBC 2
Series 11: 2. Sandbank Shipwreck
When a mayday comes in from a yacht breaking up on a sandbank off the Norfolk coast, both the Great Yarmouth and Gorleston RNLI crew and two of Caister’s independent lifeb ...
13-09-2026
BBC 2
Series 11: 1. Man Overboard
The Porthcawl crew respond to a 999 call about a local fisherman who’s fallen overboard. As they discover the casualty’s identity, their search becomes increasingly ...
07-09-2026
BBC 2
Series 11: 6. Lifeguard Emergency
In Watergate Bay, one of Cornwall’s surfing hotspots, two teenage boys are caught in one of the beach’s notorious rip currents.\n\nWhen three distress signals are ac ...
11-10-2026
BBC 2
Series 11: 7. Yacht On The Reef
A French yacht has made a mayday call after suffering mechanical failure near Jersey. The St Helier crew must rescue the vessel before it drifts onto a notoriously treacherous r ...
17-10-2026
BBC 2
Series 11: 4. Young Surf Hero
A teenage boy rushes to help save a paralysed surfer from drowning. When a 999 call comes in, the Appledore crew are tasked with an immediate launch. \n\nIn Little and Broad Hav ...
20-10-2026
BBC 2
Series 11: 8. Paddleboard 999
On the Northumberland coast, a 999 call comes in from a distressed woman whose husband is drifting out to sea on a paddleboard; the Seahouses crew race out to locate him.\n\nIn ...
07-10-2026
BBC 2
Series 11: 2. Sandbank Shipwreck
When a mayday comes in from a yacht breaking up on a sandbank off the Norfolk coast, both the Great Yarmouth and Gorleston RNLI crew and two of Caister’s independent lifeb ...
13-09-2026
BBC 2
Series 11: 3. Family Sos
The Newbiggin crew race to the rescue of three children who have been swept out to sea on a small inflatable dinghy; the situation escalates when reports come in that the father ...
24-09-2026
BBC 2
Series 11: 5. Searching For A Pulse
When a kayaker calls a friend to say she’s in trouble out at sea, the line suddenly goes dead; the Happisburgh lifeboat crew finally find her over a mile off shore, face d ...
04-10-2026
BBC 2
Series 11: 9. Rip Current Surfer
The Porthcawl crew’s training night is disrupted when a call comes from a dog walker who has spotted a surfer in trouble below the cliffs at nearby Rest Bay.\n\nDuring the ...
13-10-2026
BBC 2
Series 11: 1. Man Overboard
The Porthcawl crew respond to a 999 call about a local fisherman who’s fallen overboard. As they discover the casualty’s identity, their search becomes increasingly ...
07-09-2026
BBC 2
Series 11: 4. Teenage Mayday
A mayday comes in from a French yacht 16 miles west of St Helier, in the Channel Islands; on board are two teenage girls whose father is unconscious. On the Firth of Tay, the Br ...
27-09-2026
BBC 2