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 World War. In all of its 200 years, the RNLI had never faced such an immense challenge, as its lifeboat crews were called to serve in the most perilous of conditions, ultimately saving thousands of lives.\n\nHaving spent much of his childhood on the east coast of England, Dermot is a proud ambassador of the RNLI. But even he knew precious little about this hidden history of the institution. He delves deep into some of the war’s most iconic and surprising stories from across Britain, uncovering the extraordinary role the RNLI played in the war effort.
Source: BBC 2
Series 7: 5. Learning On The Job
The vast majority of the RNLI’s volunteer crew members don’t come from a professional maritime background - so every day is a school day.\n\nIn Eastbourne, new recru ...
16-07-2024
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 ...
09-07-2024
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
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 ...
04-07-2024
BBC 2
Series 7: 3. Caught Out
In Lyme Regis, on Dorset’s Jurassic coast, the crew face a frantic search for three fishermen whose boat has capsized in the River Axe. On the north Cornish coast, the lif ...
25-06-2024
BBC 2
Series 9: 10. Hidden Dangers
The RNLI respond to over 9,000 shouts each year - and what often gets people into trouble in the first place are the hidden dangers.\n\nIn Porthcawl, on the south-west coast of ...
05-06-2024
BBC 2
Series 9: 9. Pride
Whatever their individual background or experience, the RNLI’s 5,700 volunteers all share the pride of pulling on the famous yellow jacket.\n\nOn the north Somerset coast, ...
30-05-2024
BBC 2
Series 7: 7. Casualty Care
In Swanage, Dorset, the crew race to the rescue of a diver whose life hangs in the balance and help a yachtsman whose hand has been badly damaged by an anchor chain. In Kinghorn ...
27-05-2024
BBC 2
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 ...
23-05-2024
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
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 3: 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 series tells the story of the ordinary me ...
12-07-2020
BBC 2
Series 8: 1. Training To Save Lives
As well as dropping everything when the pager sounds, the volunteer crews of the RNLI also train regularly - so that when the call does come, everyone is primed and ready.\n\nIn ...
13-10-2023
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
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 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
Series 5: Episode 7
Of the almost 9,000 emergencies the RNLI’s lifeboats launch to every year, just seven per cent are to commercial vessels. The vast majority of their shouts are to those us ...
24-04-2022
BBC 2
Series 8: 4. Facing The Fear
Every time any of the 400 lifeboats across the UK and Ireland are called out on a shout, the crews on board must manage a whole range of emotions - and face their fears.\n\nIn n ...
03-11-2023
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 2: Episode 11
Every day around the UK, an army of unpaid volunteers put their lives on the line to try and save complete strangers. Saving Lives at Sea tells the story of the ordinary men and ...
22-03-2018
BBC 2