A group of Coastguards in various uniforms stand on a grey, rocky landscape. Above, a Coastguard helicopter is hovering.

Series One

Series One of Coastguard

An inside look at the lifesaving work the Maritime and Coastguard Agency

For over 10 months we let the cameras inside the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, for series one of the gripping Channel 5 TV series, Coastguard. The cameras followed our teams right across the agency, from investigations into significant breaches of merchant shipping legislation, to nail-biting rescues where every second counts.

Find out all about series one below. If you missed it, you can still catch up on demand.

Watch the trailer for Series One

A Coastguard Rescue Officer sits facing the camera

Watch now

Series 1: Episode 1

In the first episode, a Senior Investigator is alerted to an incident on the River Mersey where a crew member of a tug boat has died. Meanwhile, a Mayday call is picked up from a sinking fishing vessel, plus our Coastguard Rescue Teams and a Coastguard helicopter are sent to an elderly man who finds himself in serious danger after getting stuck in the mud.

A male Coastguard officer kneels on a grey, rocky landscape. He is wearing his blue and yellow coveralls and has a red first aid kit in his hands.

Series 1: Episode 2

Episode two follows the MCA investigation into a speedboat incident on the Isles of Scilly. The Coastguard helicopter crew from Caernarfon take a call about an 8-year-old suffering from appendicitis on Wales’ highest mountain, while the Inverness crew are looking for a walker who has taken a fall in the Scottish mountains.

Winch paramedic in orange overalls and medical bag on back

Series 1: Episode 3

Time is of the essence with a kite surfer pulled out to sea, a woman cut off by the tide and an injured climber stuck on the cliff edge. We are given a view of a rescue from the operations centre as well as on the ground and also learn more about our Counter Pollution team and Survey and Inspection teams.

A man wearing a hard hat and high-vis jacket crouches on a rocky landscape. he is holding a torch and looking intensely at the camera.

Series 1: Episode 4

In the fourth episode, the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) receive a distress alert from a rowing boat in the middle of the Atlantic, eight days from shore and out of range of search and rescue helicopters. Teams are called to assist a woman who has fallen off a sea wall and we see a rescue from a yacht, as HM Coastguard winch paramedic has just minutes to act before the vessel disintegrates.

Crouched down helicopter crew member on rocky terrain in orange coveralls and helmet

Series 1: Episode 5

Episode five sees dramatic rescue footage as HM Coastguard receive a Mayday call from a vessel reportedly sinking, and fast. Meanwhile, safety checks continue to encourage safe working practices at sea and MCA surveyors will re-inspect a detained vessel in Teesport. The operations room also receives a 999 call from a passer-by who can hear someone screaming for help while the Prestwick helicopter responds to a call for help despite worsening weather, with lightning, heavy rain and poor visibility…

Man in blue coveralls stood on rocky, stormy landscape with white helmet in hands

Series 1: Episode 6

In the sixth and final episode of series one, we follow the rescue of five people from an around the UK rowing boat challenge which has gone goes disastrously wrong. On the West coast of Wales, MCA surveyors are making an unannounced visit to two previously inspected fishing vessels and a Coastguard Rescue Team use their skills to help paramedics extract an injured crewman in severe pain from an awkward part of a commercial shipping vessel...

More about series two

Coastguard Series Two

The cameras are back for the return of a brand new Coastguard TV series in 2024.

Where can I watch Series One of Coastguard?

You can still catch up on each episode on the Channel 5 website.

Where can I find extra safety advice?

If you're heading to the coast there could be dangers where you least expect them. Take a look at our safety advice before you head out.

I’d like to volunteer for HM Coastguard how to I register my interest?

You can find out more about volunteering with the Coastguard Rescue Service here.

I’d like to work for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) where can I find out more?

There are a wide range of roles at the MCA. If you want to do a job that matters take a look at our current vacancies.

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