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Port Isaac RNLI to feature in popular BBC documentary series Saving Lives at Sea

Lifeboats News Release

As the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) marks 200 years of lifesaving, the volunteer lifeboat crew of Port Isaac are set to take to the nation’s television screens on Tuesday 30th April, as they feature in the ninth series of popular TV show Saving Lives at Sea on BBC Two and iPlayer.

RNLI/Faye Archell

The crew from Port Isaac RNLI who feature in Saving Lives at Sea

The new series comes in the wake of an incredible milestone for the RNLI, as the charity marked two centuries of lifesaving on 4 March 2024.

After a special first episode which took a closer look at RNLI crews’ involvement in the Second World War, nine further episodes in the series focus on the lifesaving work of today’s lifeboat crews and lifeguards, featuring footage captured on helmet and boat cameras including Port Isaac RNLI. Viewers will be able to watch dramatic rescues as they unfold through the eyes of RNLI lifesavers, as well as meeting the people behind the pagers and hearing from the rescuees and their families who, thanks to the RNLI, are here to tell the tale.

This forthcoming episode, on 30th April, sees Port Isaac RNLI respond to the nearby Port Quin Bay to a female casualty with a suspected spinal injury, alongside rescue stories from their colleagues at other stations and beaches around our coasts.

Damien Bolton, Helm of the Port Isaac lifeboat crew featured in the forthcoming episode, says: ‘It’s great to be able to showcase the work we do on TV like this, and allow the public to see how their generous donations help us to save lives. We’re all looking forward to watching along.’

Filming took place over the past year, with lifeboat crews and lifeguards carrying special cameras and welcoming film-makers into their day-to-day life. Rescues from the RNLI’s archives are also revisited, and we get a glimpse into the everyday lives of the thousands of men and women who give up their time to save lives.

Saving Lives at Sea is broadcast at 8pm on Tuesdays on BBC Two and iPlayer.

Notes to Editors

The series is made for the BBC by Blast! Films.

RNLI media contacts

For more information please contact Faye Archell on 07919 551328 or contact the RNLI Press Office on 01202 336789 or at [email protected]


Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 142,700 lives.

Learn more about the RNLI

For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.

Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.

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