Prime time TV series ‘Ambulance’ returns to reveal extraordinary work of the UK’s busiest ambulance service

The BAFTA award-winning documentary ‘Ambulance’ showcasing the work of ambulance crews and control room staff at the country’s biggest and busiest ambulance service returns to our screens next week.

The series of six programmes will be broadcast weekly from Thursday 17^th October at 9pm on BBC 1. The shows, produced by Dragonfly Film and TV, part of Banijay UK, will dramatically illustration the pressures on the National Health Service caring for a city of more than 9 million people.

Over the 11 weeks the cameras were rolling from January 2024, our Service took 365,000 emergency 999 calls and attended more than 220,000 incidents. The programme-makers were granted access to tell the real-life stories of patients, staff and volunteers behind the vast numbers at the UK’s busiest ambulance service.

London Ambulance Service 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 series ever series of the show was filmed back in 2016. The sixth series returned here and was broadcast in 2020.

This new 13^th 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 2 million, a rise of nearly ten per cent. The series will show how elderly patients, mental health crises and drugs and alcohol play a growing part of our work in addition to major incidents, traffic collisions and violent assaults.

London Ambulance Service is evolving to ensure it meets the growing demand and can respond to the demographic changes ahead as well as recruit and train the staff it needs to care for this expanding city.

Simon Ford, Executive Producer, Dragonfly Film & Television, said:

“It has been fascinating and eye-opening to return to London Ambulance Service to film the latest series of BBC 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.”

As well as following clinicians and call handlers, the series also reflects the work of other teams across the Service, including those who work in fleet and keep our ambulances on the road. It is hoped that the programme will encourage more people to consider a career in the London Ambulance Service. To find out more, please visit our website and register for information about careers and vacancies when they become available.