Volunteer lifeboat crew will star in a new documentary series.

BBC series Saving Lives at Sea returned for a fourth series last night (Tuesday).

The new 10-part series features real rescues carried out by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution's (RNLI) volunteer lifeboat crews and lifeguards around the UK and Ireland.

Lyme Regis lifeboat station is one of the stations to feature in the programme.

Each programme gives a unique insight into the lives and work of the charity’s lifesavers who are needed more than ever before, rescuing thousands of people and saving hundreds of lives around our coastline and on inland waterways every year.

The new series features more dramatic real-life rescue footage, accompanied by emotive testimonials from the volunteer crews, lifeguards and the people they rescue and their families.

Filming took place over the past year, with lifeboat crews and lifeguards carrying special cameras and welcoming film-makers into their day-to-day life. Rescues from the RNLI’s archives are also revisited, and we get a glimpse into the everyday lives of the thousands of men and women who give up their time to save lives.

The programmed will be aired on BBC Two on Tuesdays at 8pm, as well as being available on the BBC iPlayer following broadcast.

Last year alone, RNLI lifeboat crews around the UK and Ireland rescued 9,412 people, saving 211 lives, while the charity’s lifeguards aided 32,207 people and saved 118 lives on some of the UK’s busiest beaches.