
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\nThe volunteer crews of the RNLI are often described as heroes, but it’s a word many of them find difficult to accept. In Trearddur Bay, in Anglesey, Sara and her daughter Katie know only too well the ups and downs of Daf - husband and Dad - being a long-serving crew member. When a force 10 gale rolls in from the Irish Sea, Daf and the crew battle through the waves to try and rescue a surfer. On the same stretch of Welsh coast the Llandudno and Rhyl lifeboats are involved in a desperate search for a fishing vessel that’s reported missing. In Appledore, in the mouth of the Bristol Channel, the crew are called out to rescue a woman who’s stuck in the mud, with the tide racing in. And on Fistral beach, on the north Cornish coast, the RNLI lifeguards are faced with a treacherous rip current that’s left a young woman in grave danger.
Source: 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 ...
16-01-2026
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 ...
11-12-2025
BBC 2
Series 5 (shortened Versions): 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 ...
26-11-2025
BBC 2
Series 6 (shortened Versions): Episode 6
There are now over 600 women who are active lifeboat crew, a number which has doubled in the last ten years. In Calshot, Kelley volunteered for the crew 18 months ago, despite n ...
06-11-2025
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 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 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
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 2 (shortened Versions): Episode 1
Documentary following the men and women of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.
11-07-2022
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 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: 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 ...
16-01-2026
BBC 2
Series 5: Episode 4
The seas and lakes of the UK and Ireland can catch out even the most experienced seafarers and, more often than not, it is the RNLI volunteers who pick up the pieces. \n\nIn Ess ...
21-10-2020
BBC 2
Series 4 (shortened Versions): Episode 4
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 ...
31-01-2023
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