The work of the UK’s busiest ambulance service is showcased in the latest series of a Bafta-winning TV series

An award-winning documentary showcasing the work of ambulance crews and control room staff in London returns to TV screens next week.

Ambulance will broadcast weekly from Thursday 17th on BBC 1, for six weeks, and will show the pressure of caring for a city of more than nine million people.

Over the eleven weeks the cameras were rolling last winter, London Ambulance Service took 365,000 emergency 999 calls and attended more than 220,000 incidents. The programme-makers were granted access to tell the real stories of patients, staff and volunteers behind the vast numbers at the UK’s busiest ambulance service.

London Ambulance Service answers more 999 and 111 calls than any other ambulance service in the UK, with crews going to more than 3,000 patients every day and handling over 2.2 million 999 calls a year.

Chief executive Daniel Elkeles said: “Thanks to this extraordinary documentary, people will be able to see the compassion, care and skill of everyone working for London Ambulance Service.

“A few things have changed since the series was last here before the pandemic. We have a new control room to handle the growing number of 999 calls, new training facilities to develop the next generation of call handlers and paramedics and our new electric Ford ambulances are making us the greenest service in the country.

“Since the last series, we have continued to work hard in caring for people in life threatening emergencies, dealing with increasingly complex needs of Londoners and all the while transforming our working culture. But some things haven’t changed and I hope when people watch the show they see the professionalism and outstanding dedication our people show day in and day out.”

This is the third time the cameras have been allowed behind the scenes and followed crews from around London. The first-ever series of the show was filmed back in 2016 and the sixth series returned to the capital for 2020.

The new, 13th series illustrates how the pace and demands of the job continue to grow. When the first series of Ambulance aired eight years ago, London Ambulance Service took around 1.8 million 999 calls each year. Last year it was almost two million, a rise of nearly 10%.

Simon Ford, executive producer at the show’s production company Dragonfly Film and Television, said: “It has been fascinating and eye-opening to return to London Ambulance Service to film the latest series of Ambulance. We pride ourselves on telling the real story of the NHS for all our viewers; in making this series we have seen amazing care and life-saving medical innovations, all against the backdrop of ever increasing pressures on the service.

“We are deeply grateful to everyone – patients, staff and paramedics – who have trusted us to tell their stories. We can’t wait to share what we’ve filmed with our viewers.”

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