
The Newhaven crew make a desperate attempt to convince a solo yachtsman that he needs rescuing; when his anchor line snaps, he is at the mercy of the rolling swells and the storm force winds, and his vessel is smashed up on the breakwater.\n\nIn Dart, on the south Devon coast, a kayaker has fallen on some rocks and suffered a serious neck injury; the crew must extract him before he is overwhelmed by the incoming tide.\n\nJust along the coast, in Torbay, one of the local Brixham trawlers - whose fishermen are known to the RNLI crew - is taking on water at an alarming rate, 18 miles out at sea.\n\nAnd in Cromer, north Norfolk, when a man enters the sea to save his beloved dog, it becomes a race against time to save two lives.
Source: BBC 2
Series 6 (shortened Versions): Episode 5
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 ...
24-03-2026
BBC 2
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 ...
22-03-2026
BBC 2
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 ...
13-02-2026
BBC 2
Series 6 (shortened Versions): 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 ...
31-01-2026
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
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 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 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
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
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 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 ...
22-03-2026
BBC 2
Series 6: Episode 1
Over 90% of the RNLI’s rescues come under the broad heading of ‘leisure gone wrong’. Often an innocent day at the beach or a trip out to sea can turn into a ni ...
21-02-2023
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 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 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