To mark the RNLI’s 200th anniversary, this special program celebrates the organization’s efforts to save lives in some of the most dangerous conditions it has ever faced. Despite near-impossible conditions, the RNLI saved at least 6,376 people.
Volunteer crews were there for the Dunkirk evacuation and the Battle of Britain.inside saving lives at sea Specially, O’Leary speaks to the crew’s families and local historians. Combined with archival footage, the show tells the stories of an extraordinary group of people.
“The reason I think this story is so unique, and the reason I’m so proud to be a part of it, is that in a period of five or six years when the world is trying to kill each other, this kind of story exists. “It’s a ragtag group of mostly older men whose specific role is to save lives,” O’Leary said. “That’s all they care about.”
“It’s deeply tied to what the RNLI stands for and its ideals. They don’t care where you’re from. They don’t care what the color of your skin is. They don’t care if we go to war with you. If you’re a soul in the ocean, all they want to do is rescue you.”
The special will be broadcast on BBC Two on Tuesday 12th March at 9pm.