Catch up TV
Series 6 (Shortened Versions): 2. 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 to cargo ships on the rocks. In almost every single rescue every second counts. Saving Lives At Sea tells the story of the ordinary men and women who give up their time to do something extraordinary, giving an insight into the lives of the 6,000 lifeboat crew members who are prepared to put their lives on hold whenever the pager sounds, and whatever the weather. \n\nSaving Lives At Sea brings us some of the RNLI’s most extraordinary recent rescues, filmed with the crews’ own cameras, and taking us straight into the heart of the drama. The series captures life at some of the 238 lifeboat stations across the UK and Ireland, the compelling stories behind the crew members involved, and the heartfelt testimony of the casualties they’ve saved. \n\nWhen they head out on a shout, crew members must often prepare for the worst - dealing with life and loss is part and parcel of the job. For fishermen, the risk of death is six times higher than any job on land, making it the most dangerous occupation in the UK. Just one week after the Newhaven crew were involved in the search for a Brixham beam trawler which went missing off the Sussex coast – with the loss of two lives – they’re called out to reports of another Brixham boat in trouble. On Cornwall’s Perranporth beach, a team of RNLI lifeguards battle to rescue a mother and her son who have been caught in a rip current. In Swanage, the crew respond to multiple 999 calls of a man falling over 100 feet from the top of a local landmark. And on the Thames, the Chiswick and Teddington crews face an unusual challenge under the glare of the world’s media: how to rescue a minke whale that seems to have lost its way.
Source: BBC 2
Most recent episodes of Saving Lives at Sea
Saving Lives At Sea
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 ...
02-05-2024
BBC 2
Saving Lives At Sea
Series 9: 8. Pressure
Whenever their pagers sound, the volunteers of the RNLI immediately find themselves under pressure.\n\nIn Port Isaac, on the north coast of Cornwall, the crew race to the rescue ...
30-04-2024
BBC 2
Saving Lives At Sea
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 ...
27-04-2024
BBC 2
Saving Lives At Sea
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
Saving Lives At Sea
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
Saving Lives At Sea
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
Saving Lives At Sea
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
Saving Lives At Sea
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
Saving Lives At Sea
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
Saving Lives At Sea
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
Most popular episodes of Saving Lives at Sea
Saving Lives At Sea
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
Saving Lives At Sea
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 ...
02-05-2024
BBC 2
Saving Lives At Sea
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
Saving Lives At Sea
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
Saving Lives At Sea
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
Saving Lives At Sea
Series 4 (shortened Versions): Episode 3
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 ...
02-03-2022
BBC 2
Saving Lives At Sea
Series 4 (shortened Versions): Episode 6
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 programme tells the story of the ordinary ...
20-03-2023
BBC 2
Saving Lives At Sea
Series 3: 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. This series tells the story of the ordinary me ...
02-07-2022
BBC 2
Saving Lives At Sea
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 ...
27-04-2024
BBC 2