999: What's Your Emergency?

999: What's Your Emergency?

Series 1 titles
Genre Reality television, Documentary
Narrated by Hugo Speer (2012)
Julian Barratt (2013)
Country of origin United Kingdom
Original language(s) British English
No. of series 2
No. of episodes 16 (11 aired)
Production
Executive producer(s) Ed Coulthard (2012-2013)
Simon Ford (2012-2013)
Guy Davies (2013)
Producer(s) Daniel Fromm (2012)
Mark Jones (2012)
Ally Roberts (2013)
Location(s) Blackpool (2012)
Various (2013)
Running time 60 minutes
Production company(s) Blast!
Broadcast
Original channel Channel 4
Original run 10 September 2012 – present
External links
999: What's Your Emergency?

999: What's Your Emergency? is a British factual documentary following the members of the emergency services in Blackpool, Lancashire in series 1 and the ambulance service throughout the UK in series 2.

The first series was filmed in Blackpool over 6 weeks in 2011 and follows members of the Police service, the Fire service and Ambulance service as they work together to tackle crime and disorder in Blackpool.

Every episode highlights issues ranging from the damage caused by drugs and alcohol to the reality of domestic violence, and from the dysfunctional way that some people bring up their children to the plight of those who slip through society's safety net, with one or multiple issues raised per episode.

Episodes

Series One (2012)

Episode Broadcast Date Episode Summary
1 10 September 2012 Drug Culture & Rowdiness
2 17 September 2012 Children's Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) & Teenage Carers
3 24 September 2012 Relationships & Domestic Violence
4 8 October 2012 Payday celebrations, Bonfire Night & A case of one frequent caller.
5 15 October 2012 Mental Health, Suicide & Street Fighting
6 22 October 2012 "Girl Power", Women in society and in the emergency services.
7 29 October 2012 Alcohol
8 5 November 2012 Hoax Callers & Life or Death Calls
9 12 November 2012 Visitors ASB and the effects on Residents
10 19 November 2012 Highlights of the series and interviews with emergency service staff

Series Two (2013)

Episode Broadcast Date Episode Summary
1 7 October 2013 The first film in the series explores the struggles of becoming an adult in modern Britain.
2 14 October 2013 This episode focuses on people dependent on alcohol and alcohol misuse.
3 21 October 2013 This episode follows paramedics as they do their best to help patients with mental health problems.
4 28 October 2013 This episode focuses on call-outs to patients fighting for life, and the medical, ethical and emotional challenges their care creates.
5 4 November 2013 This episode focuses on the older generation.
6 11 November 2013 This episode focusses on babies - from births to over-protective parents and from very poorly children to those facing neglect and abuse.

Controversy

Since the airing of the show, residents and councillors from Blackpool have been vocal on how the show has made their home town look to new visitors and especially families, after showing the apparent "darker" side of Blackpool.[1] The leader of Blackpool council Simon Blackburn has even voiced his concerns after watching the show.[2]Esther Rantzen wrote in the Daily Mail about how the show made her "weep for the women of today."[3]

In a separate incident, one of the cast, PC Claire van Deurs Goss, was disciplined by the Lancashire Constabulary after applying lip gloss whilst filming the show, which prompted over 50 complaints to the force.[4]

On 26 July 2013 it was confirmed that Crackit Productions and the BBC were about to commission "Holiday Hospital 999" again based in Blackpool however these plans were shelved in what the Blackpool Gazette called a "Bullet Dodged" due to the damaging effect caused by 999: What's Your Emergency? on tourism in the town.[5]

References

External links