Operations from two world-class research hospitals based on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus will be broadcast across four programmes on BBC Two every Tuesday during October 2020.
Non-urgent advice: Catch-up on Surgeons: At the Edge of Life
To catch-up on Surgeons: At the edge of life, visit BBC iPlayer.
Series three of Surgeons: At the Edge of Life was filmed at Addenbrooke’s and Royal Papworth during 2019 and early 2020, before the coronavirus pandemic.
Every hour-long episode will feature two operations - one from each hospital, showcasing some of the most advanced and complex surgery carried out anywhere in the world.
Read more about the series.
Episode 1 - 6 October 2020
Addenbrooke’s hospital consultant surgeon, Andrew Carrothers, knew from a young age the specialism he wanted to follow.
As a medical student he set his heart on becoming a consultant orthopaedic surgeon, having seen how even routine procedures like hip and knee replacements can transform a patient’s quality of life.
Now on Tuesday, 6 October, Andrew will be seen at 9pm on BBC Two’s ‘Surgeons: At the Edge of Life’ carrying out a unique pelvis and hip operation – called a Harrington Plus - which pushes the boundaries of medical science.
Read more about episode 1.
Episode 2 - 13 October 2020
In the second episode this month, at Royal Papworth Hospital, senior consultant thoracic surgeon, Aman Coonar, calls on the skills of Addenbrooke’s consultant plastic surgeon, Professor Charles Malata, to undertake a chest wall reconstruction on former builder, Kevin; a complex, marathon procedure that takes 18 hours.
Read more about episode 2.
Episode 3 - 20 October 2020
There is no room for error in two cutting-edge operations filmed at Addenbrooke’s and Royal Papworth hospitals in Cambridge for the next episode of the BBC Two documentary, ‘Surgeons: At the Edge of Life’.
The third, and penultimate, starts with Royal Papworth surgeons, Marius Berman and Pedro Catarino, taking on one of the most difficult transplant procedures - the double lung transplant.
Read more about episode 3.
Episode 4 - 27 October 2020
Weighing up the risks of an operation versus the impact of not treating patients at all is a daily balancing act for surgeons at Royal Papworth and Addenbrooke’s hospitals in Cambridge.
To conclude the dramatic third series of BBC Two programme ‘Surgeons: At the Edge of Life, teams at both hospitals face this difficult dilemma.
The fourth episode begins with cardiac surgeon Mr Ravi De Silva and his 75-year-old patient, Maureen, who feels relatively well even though she has an enlarged aorta; the main vessel for carrying oxygenated blood to the body.
Read more about episode 4.