BBC Factual has commissioned Saving Lives In Leeds, a brand-new 8’x60” medical documentary series for BBC Two and iPlayer, produced by Label1.

Over eight episodes, the series meets a group of world-leading doctors and surgeons at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust as they battle through their ever-increasing waiting lists to transform the lives of their patients and decide who to treat next.

Lifting the lid on the challenging decisions clinicians have to make every day the programme will explore their patients’ emotional journeys and the real impact on their lives and families, against the backdrop of one of the longest waiting lists in NHS history.

The series was filmed last year with exclusive access across one of the biggest NHS Hospital Trusts in the UK - which includes Leeds General Infirmary that has been saving lives for over 250 years, and St James’s University Hospital.

Featuring in-depth interviews and life-changing operations, each clinician’s caseload will take viewers to the heart of compelling patient stories, as they operate on brain tumours; perform cardiac surgery on babies; provide life-saving liver treatment and carry out a high-risk double hand transplant.

The series is produced by Label1, the makers of multi award-winning series Hospital, with a wealth of documentary filmmaking experience in gaining access to NHS services, following seven series of Hospital and a Covid-19 special.

Emma Loach, Commissioning Editor, BBC Documentaries says: “Saving Lives In Leeds will bring us closer than ever before to the clinicians facing difficult dilemmas on a daily basis and show us what they need to overcome before tackling the day job of changing people’s lives.”

Professor Phil Wood, Chief Executive of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust says: “Saving Lives in Leeds really shines a light on the outstanding people working at Leeds Teaching Hospitals carrying out remarkable and world-leading surgery. It highlights some of the challenging decisions they make on a day-to-day basis as they work to ensure our patients get the best possible care. It’s been a really positive opportunity for us to explain the complexity behind some of the decisions we take when managing waiting lists and highlight that we always have our patients’ best interest at the heart of everything we do”.

Label1 co-founder and Exec Producer Lorraine Charker-Phillips say: “Label1 is proud to bring viewers this eye-opening new medical series with extraordinary, touching and life-affirming stories, shown through the eyes of consultants and their patients as they decide who to treat next on their waiting lists. Filmed across the whole of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, it gives unique insight into the variety of work being done across their departments, at a time when decisions around how to tackle the growing backlog have never been more important.

Saving Lives in Leeds is a 8x60 series commissioned by Clare Sillery, Head of Commissioning, Documentaries. The BBC Commissioning Editor is Emma Loach. It is Executive Produced for Label1 by Lorraine Charker-Phillips; Anouk Curry and Catey Sexton. The Series Editor is Helen White.