Channel 5 Orders The Frontline: Doctors of War

Channel 5 has commissioned a feature-length documentary that focuses on a British volunteer surgeon and an anesthetist deployed to a hospital facility in war-ravaged South Sudan, tentatively titled The Frontline: Doctors of War.

The Frontline: Doctors of War follows former NHS surgeon John Buckels and his anesthetist over the course of two weeks as they face the humanitarian disaster in a country splintered by ten years of conflict. Buckels joins a wider team of international healthcare professionals in one of the world’s largest refugee camps as they fight to save lives amid an onslaught of war-induced injuries. Produced by ITN Productions, The Frontline: Doctors of War will air later this year on Channel 5.

Guy Davies, commissioning editor for factual at Channel 5, said: “This documentary offers a unique, graphic and heart-wrenching record of emergency medicine and surgery in a conflict zone. Placing these original feature-length documentaries in the heart of the Channel 5 schedule means we can tell important international stories such as this. The team at ITNP has managed to capture the extraordinary experiences of U.K. medics working in South Sudan in a way that viewers will find they cannot ignore.”

Ian Rumsey, director of TV production at ITN Productions, said: “It’s important for us to bring this story to the screen. It’s a story of both suffering and heroism. And it’s also vital for everyone to understand the amazing work these medics are doing and the dire situation that still exists for the people of South Sudan.”