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
Series three of Surgeons: At the Edge of Life was filmed at AddenbrookeÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ 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
AddenbrookeÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ 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 patientÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ quality of life.
Now on Tuesday, 6 October, Andrew will be seen at 9pm on BBC TwoÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ ‘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 AddenbrookeÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ consultant plastic surgeon, Professor Charles Malata, to undertake a chest wall reconstruction on former builder, Kevin; a complex, marathon procedure that takes 18 hours.Â
Read more about episode 2.
Episode 3 - 20 October 2020
There is no room for error in two cutting-edge operations filmed at AddenbrookeÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ 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 AddenbrookeÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ 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.