As the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) marks 200 years of lifesaving, the volunteer lifeboat crew of Penlee are set to take to the nation’s television screens at 8pm on Tuesday, May 14, as they feature in the ninth series of popular TV show Saving Lives at Sea on BBC Two and iPlayer.

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

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 Penlee 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 Tuesday May 14, sees RNLI teams at Penlee and Sennen respond to reports of a 31,000-ton cargo ship that’s about to run aground on the Wolf Rock lighthouse, ten miles from Land’s End, alongside rescue stories from their colleagues at other stations and beaches around our coasts.

Patch Harvey, Coxswain of the Penlee 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.