Season 1 - 6 x 60
Made with access to some of Britain’s best surgeons at the University Hospitals Birmingham, each episode follows surgeons and their patients minute by minute in theatre as they battle with the challenges of highly complex cases. The programmes provide an unrivalled perspective to split-second decision-making in a fight against the constant risk to life – revealing the cutting-edge techniques of the expert surgeon’s craft as never before.
The Times wrote: ‘Surgeons: A Matter of Life or Death was the most astounding thing on TV last night. The cameras showed us Stephen, 53, a man with a highly aggressive mouth tumour who was facing just months to live without surgery – which involved having his lower jaw, teeth and most of his tongue sawn off, the bottom third of his face plopped on the table. It was both horrific and hypnotic…Phenomenal.’
In a 9pm slot, it achieved a series share average of almost 9%, with a high of 10.5%, eliciting great reviews from viewers and medical professionals alike. The Telegraph called the series ‘awe-inspiring’, The Mail called it ‘remarkable’ and The Times said it was ‘breath-taking’. ‘It’s cliched to call what the surgeons from Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital did next ‘a miracle’, but it felt pretty close.’