Channel 5 Orders More A&E After Dark

Crackit Productions has been commissioned by Channel 5 to produce a second season of the docuseries A&E After Dark.

With access to Hull Royal Infirmary, the six-part series offered viewers a glimpse of what life is like for NHS staff working the night shift at A&E departments across the U.K. It featured confrontations at the hospital to everyday accidents, road traffic collisions and drug- and alcohol-related admissions that often resulted in aggression and disruption for the staff.

In addition to the recommission, Channel 5 has asked Crackit Productions to develop the After Dark brand and produce another access docuseries, Police After Dark, which will begin filming later this year.

Sebastian Cardwell, deputy director of programs at ViacomCBS UK, said: “Crackit delivered an engaging and agenda-setting series which enthralled viewers bringing in a younger demographic. We want to ensure that we can deliver more content from A&E departments and other emergency services.”

Elaine Hackett, CEO at Crackit Productions, said: “The response to the series was incredible and we’re thrilled that Channel 5 have recommissioned us and committed to developing the After Dark brand into other areas. The ‘after dark’ element allowed us to show what it’s truly like for NHS staff to work the nightshift—the night-time throws up unique incidents that arise when daylight diminishes, allowing us to deliver an arresting, agenda-setting series. We are indebted to all the staff and patients who allowed us to feature these emergencies in such a candid way. Filming within A&E departments is always challenging. The nightshift gave us an even more complex landscape to navigate but we were determined to portray it in all its visceral detail. To be able to widen out our production to focus on the realities of capturing life ‘after dark’ with our U.K. police-force is also a real testament to our access experience and capabilities.”