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 is 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 goes into the heart of the action, capturing the unpredictable work of the RNLI in unique detail.\n\nLast 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 every shout will end in a successful rescue. \n\nIn the centre of Ireland, at one of the few inland lake lifeboat stations, the crew of Lough Ree are called out to one of islands in the Lough to reports that the island’s last known inhabitant has suffered a stroke. While on the north east coast of England, the crew of Blyth race to find a sea kayaker in trouble in rough conditions, but since he raised the alarm on his mobile phone there has been no further contact from the casualty. At Tower Lifeboat station in central London a call comes in that someone has been stranded by the tide on a strip of foreshore. Arriving on scene to find a dog by itself trapped by the river, the crew’s main concern is the whereabouts of its owner.
Source: 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 ...
26-03-2024
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 ...
24-03-2024
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 ...
17-03-2024
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 6 (shortened Versions): 1. Saving Lives At Sea
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 ...
13-12-2023
BBC 2
Series 8: 9. All Hands On Deck
Although the RNLI is made up of over 35,000 individual volunteers, when the call comes in, it’s all hands on deck.\n\nThe North Berwick crew race out to try and save a win ...
08-12-2023
BBC 2
Series 8: 8. 24-7
The volunteer crews of the RNLI’s 238 lifeboat stations can be paged at any time, day or night, calling them away from friends, families and colleagues to head out into th ...
01-12-2023
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: 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 ...
26-03-2024
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 ...
25-10-2022
BBC 2
Series 5 (shortened Versions): Episode 8
During one of the worst storms in living memory, on the south coast of England the crew of Hastings lifeboat receive an emergency call. A surfer, hoping to make the most of the ...
16-08-2023
BBC 2
Series 5: Episode 6
The thousands of lifeboat volunteers across the UK and Ireland are willing to put their lives on the line to rescue those in danger at a moment’s notice. Once they have la ...
10-04-2022
BBC 2
Series 2 (shortened Versions): Episode 1
Documentary following the men and women of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.
11-07-2022
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 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
Saving Lives At Sea Ser 2 Cutdowns: 1. Saving Lives At Sea
Documentary series following the men and women of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). \n\nIn south west Wales, the Tenby crew race to a kayaker with suspected back a ...
20-05-2021
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: Episode 5
Week in, week out, across the UK and Ireland volunteers give up their weekends and evenings to learn life-saving techniques ready for when they need to put their skills into use ...
03-08-2023
BBC 2