Channel 4 Orders Fast-Turnaround NHS Doc Series

Channel 4 has commissioned Dragonfly Film & TV (part of Endemol Shine UK) to deliver a fast-turnaround observational documentary series, tentatively titled Pandemic: Emergency, that will capture how the West Midlands Ambulance Service is dealing with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cameras will follow the day-to-day realities of the NHS as they manage the global pandemic. Edited and broadcast within weeks of filming, the fast-turnaround episodes will focus on the difficulties in managing one of the biggest and busiest ambulance service trusts in the U.K. The series will show the daily decisions being made in the NHS and witness what it’s like to provide urgent medical care to the West Midlands at this time. The three-part documentary series will be filmed across three weeks.

West Midlands Ambulance Service’s chief executive, Anthony Marsh, said: “Allowing Channel 4 access to WMAS will enable us to show the extraordinary lengths that staff in every part of our organization are going to, to meet the challenge of coronavirus head-on.  I am immensely proud of the work my staff are doing every single day to ensure we provide world-class care and save lives.”

Richard Bond, creative director for Dragonfly Film & TV, said: “Our access to West Midlands Ambulance Service will give viewers an insight into how staff operate on the frontline during this unprecedented crisis, showing the absolutely vital role they play in helping to manage the threat across the country.”

Fozia Khan, commissioning editor at Channel 4, said: “We are very grateful to West Midlands Ambulance Service for giving us this privileged access to document their incredible work and show our viewers the reality of their jobs at this most challenging of times.”