Happisburgh RNLI to feature on Saving Lives at Sea

The volunteers of Happisburgh RNLI will appear in the latest series of Saving Lives at Sea, which is now in its eleventh year of being broadcast. The episode featuring Happisburgh RNLI will be shown on BBC2 on 15 September at 8pm.

The series showcases the courage of RNLI lifesavers throughout the UK and Ireland as they respond to emergencies around the coast.

The episode sees Happisburgh crew in action on the 5 July 2025 when HM Coastguard informed the Launch Authority that they had received reports of a kayak drifting out to sea with one person on board off Walcott Sea front. The person onboard was believed to suffer from diabetes.

The crew arrived at the station and the Russell Pickering the station's D class lifeboat, was made ready for action.

At 12.25pm she was in the water with Chris Risby as helm and Peter Walker and Ellis Speirs as crew; they made their way to Walcott at best speed and soon spotted the kayak in the distance.

When they came alongside the kayak it was over half a mile off the coast; they found the person on board unresponsive and started to assess the casualty and carried out casualty care treatment. They called for an Ambulance to meet them at Walcott ramp and the crew made best speed again to return to the beach. The Coastguard team from Bacton were there, ready to assist with treatment until the Ambulance arrived, then they helped to transfer the casualty into the care of the ambulance service.

Once the casualty was handed over the crew returned to station to clean and refuel the lifeboat ready for service again. This will feature alongside other rescue stories from around the UK and Ireland

Saving Lives at Sea shows viewers how lifeboat crew and lifeguards rescue those in distress at sea, and the lifesaving nature of the charity's work. The station is delighted to feature in such a long-running and popular series alongside fellow lifesavers from across the RNLI.

More than 30 different RNLI lifeboat stations feature in the series, as well as some of the charity’s beach lifeguards. The programme features real life rescue footage, interviews with the RNLI crews, lifeguards and the people they have rescued, and an insight into the lives of the charity’s lifesavers.

In 2025, RNLI lifeboat crews around the UK and Ireland aided 8,290 people, saving 272 lives, while the charity’s lifeguards helped 36,213 people and saved 117 lives on some of the UK’s busiest beaches.

RNLI Media Contacts

For further information, please contact:

Philip Smith, Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer for RNLI North and East, [email protected]

Clare Hopps, RNLI Regional Communications Manager for North East and East England, 07824 518641, [email protected]

Richard Grange, RNLI Regional Communications Lead for North East and East England, 07483 112015, [email protected]

RNLI Press Office, 01202 336789, [email protected]

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,700 lives.

Learn more about the RNLI

For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, TikTok and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.

Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.