999: What's Your Emergency?
999: What's Your Emergency? is a British television documentary. Broadcast on Channel 4, the show provides insight into modern Britain through the eyes of the emergency services, using a mixture of fly-on-the-wall footage taken at incidents and retrospective interviews with the people and staff featured. The show is narrated by Hugo Speer, with the exception of Series 2 which was narrated by Julian Barratt.
| 999: What's Your Emergency? | |
|---|---|
 Series 1 titlecard | |
| Genre | Documentary |
| Narrated by |
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| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 13 |
| No. of episodes | 71 (as of 8 June 2021) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Running time | 60 minutes (inc. adverts) |
| Production company | Blast! |
| Release | |
| Original network | Channel 4 |
| Original release | 10 September 2012 – present |
Series 1 followed police officers, paramedics, firefighters, and call handlers in Blackpool, Lancashire. Series 2 followed paramedics throughout the UK. Series 3 followed police officers, paramedics, and call handlers in Cheshire. From Series 4 to Series 11, the show followed police officers, paramedics, call handlers, and occasionally firefighters in Wiltshire and Northamptonshire. Series 12 onwards has followed police officers and call handlers in South Yorkshire and Northamptonshire police.
Episodes
All episode ratings are taken from the BARB website and include Channel 4 and Channel 4+1.
| Series | Episodes | Start date | End date | Average UK viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | 10 September 2012 | 19 November 2012 | 2.80 |
| 2 | 6 | 7 October 2013 | 11 November 2013 | 1.98 |
| 3 | 14 | 4 July 2016 | 3 October 2016 | 2.00 |
| 4 | 6 | 24 July 2017 | 4 September 2017 | 1.79 |
| 5 | 7 | 30 October 2017 | 11 December 2017 | |
| 6 | 4 | 19 April 2018 | 10 May 2018 | |
| 7 | 4 | 24 July 2018 | 14 August 2018 | |
| 8 | 4 | 29 November 2018 | 22 April 2019 | |
| 9 | 4 | 3 June 2019 | 24 June 2019 | |
| 10 | 4 | 20 January 2020 | 10 February 2020 | |
| 11 | 3 | 5 October 2020 | 19 October 2020 | |
| 12 | 4 | 11 January 2021 | 1 February 2021 | |
| 13 | 5 | 8 June 2021 | 13 July 2021 | |
| 14 | 17 January 2022 | |||
Series 1 (2012)
| Episode | Broadcast Date | Episode Summary | Total viewers (millions) |
Channel 4 weekly rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 September 2012 | Drugs | 2.90 | 3 |
| 2 | 17 September 2012 | Children & Youth Crime | 3.00 | 4 |
| 3 | 24 September 2012 | Relationships & Domestic Abuse | 2.95 | 2 |
| 4 | 8 October 2012 | Payday & Bonfire Night | 2.76 | 5 |
| 5 | 15 October 2012 | Mental Health | 2.96 | 3 |
| 6 | 22 October 2012 | Women | 2.91 | 5 |
| 7 | 29 October 2012 | Alcohol | 2.88 | 4 |
| 8 | 5 November 2012 | Life or Death & Hoax Calls | 3.12 | 4 |
| 9 | 12 November 2012 | Visitors | 2.56 | 5 |
| 10 | 19 November 2012 | Highlights & Interviews | 1.92 | 19 |
Series 2 (2013)
| Episode | Broadcast Date | Episode Summary | Total viewers (millions) |
Channel 4 weekly rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 October 2013 | Transition to Adulthood | 1.71 | 15 |
| 2 | 14 October 2013 | Alcohol | 1.78 | 16 |
| 3 | 21 October 2013 | Mental Health | 1.94 | 9 |
| 4 | 28 October 2013 | Life or Death | 1.94 | 8 |
| 5 | 4 November 2013 | The Elderly | 2.19 | 8 |
| 6 | 11 November 2013 | Babies | 2.33 | 6 |
Series 3 (2016-17)
| Episode | Broadcast Date | Episode Summary | Total viewers (millions) |
Channel 4 weekly rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 July 2016 | Call Handlers | 2.27 | 2 |
| 2 | 11 July 2016 | Legal Highs | 2.54 | 2 |
| 3 | 21 July 2016 | Neighbours | 2.23 | 3 |
| 4 | 28 July 2016 | Mental Health | 1.94 | 4 |
| 5 | 4 August 2016 | Regular Callers & Repeat Offenders | 2.20 | 2 |
| 6 | 11 August 2016 | Immigrants & The Language Barrier | 1.85 | 1 |
| 7 | 18 August 2016 | Money | 1.94 | 1 |
| 8 | 25 August 2016 | Alcohol | 2.11 | 3 |
| 9 | 1 September 2016 | Teenagers & Youth Crime | 2.05 | 3 |
| 10 | 5 September 2016 | Violent Crime | 1.72 | 7 |
| 11 | 19 September 2016 | Roads Policing | 1.88 | 7 |
| 12 | 26 September 2016 | Relationships & Domestic Abuse | 1.63 | 9 |
| 13 | 3 October 2016 | Death | 1.71 | 10 |
| 14 | 27 February 2017 | Custody | 1.39 | 16 |
Series 4 (2017)
| Episode | Broadcast Date | Episode Summary | Total viewers (millions) |
Channel 4 weekly rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 July 2017 | Immigrants & Hate Crime | 1.83 | 5 |
| 2 | 31 July 2017 | Young Men | 2.22 | 5 |
| 3 | 7 August 2017 | Drugs | 1.81 | 5 |
| 4 | 14 August 2017 | Vigilante Justice | 1.78 | 7 |
| 5 | 28 August 2017 | Burglary | 2.19 | 5 |
| 6 | 4 September 2017 | Children & Parenting | 2.40 | 7 |
Series 5 (2017)
| Episode | Broadcast Date | Episode Summary | Total viewers (millions) |
Channel 4 weekly rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30 October 2017 | Sex Offences | ||
| 2 | 6 November 2017 | Squaddies | ||
| 3 | 13 November 2017 | Homelessness | ||
| 4 | 20 November 2017 | Mental Health | ||
| 5 | 27 November 2017 | The Elderly | ||
| 6 | 4 December 2017 | Workplace Stress | ||
| 7 | 11 December 2017 | Teenagers & Youth Crime | ||
Series 6 (2018)
| Episode | Broadcast Date | Episode Summary | Total viewers (millions) |
Channel 4 weekly rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 April 2018 | Dangerous Driving | ||
| 2 | 26 April 2018 | Mother & Son Relationships | ||
| 3 | 3 May 2018 | Loneliness | ||
| 4 | 10 May 2018 | Cannabis | ||
Series 7 (2018)
| Episode | Broadcast Date | Episode Summary | Total viewers (millions) |
Channel 4 weekly rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 July 2018 | Accidents & Injuries | ||
| 2 | 31 July 2018 | Ambulance Response Times | ||
| 3 | 7 August 2018 | Emergency & Non-emergency Calls | ||
| 4 | 14 August 2018 | Poverty | ||
Series 8 (2018)
| Episode | Broadcast Date | Episode Summary | Total viewers (millions) |
Channel 4 weekly rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 November 2018 | Violent Crime | ||
| 2 | 27 November 2018 | Learning Disabilities | ||
| 3 | 4 December 2018 | Criminal Families | ||
| 4 | 22 April 2019 | Knife Crime & Murder | ||
Series 9 (2019)
| Episode | Broadcast Date | Episode Summary | Total viewers (millions) |
Channel 4 weekly rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 June 2019 | Relationships & Domestic Abuse | ||
| 2 | 10 June 2019 | Increased Demand | ||
| 3 | 17 June 2019 | Officer Safety | ||
| 4 | 24 June 2019 | Knife Crime |
Series 10 (2020)
| Episode | Broadcast Date | Episode Summary | Total viewers (millions) |
Channel 4 weekly rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 January 2020 | Roads Policing | ||
| 2 | 27 January 2020 | Young Men & Fathers | ||
| 3 | 3 February 2020 | Hate Crime | ||
| 4 | 10 February 2020 | Women | ||
Series 11 (2020)
| Episode | Broadcast Date | Episode Summary | Total viewers (millions) |
Channel 4 weekly rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 October 2020 | High Streets & Night-time Economy | ||
| 2 | 12 October 2020 | Burglary & Theft | ||
| 3 | 19 October 2020 | Violent Crime & Youth Crime | ||
Series 12 (2021)
| Episode | Broadcast Date | Episode Summary | Total viewers (millions) |
Channel 4 weekly rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 January 2021 | Fear of Crime | ||
| 2 | 18 January 2021 | Sex Offences | ||
| 3 | 25 January 2021 | Violent Crime & Youth Crime | ||
| 4 | 1 February 2021 | Coronavirus | ||
Series 13 (2021)
| Episode | Broadcast Date | Episode Summary | Total viewers (millions) |
Channel 4 weekly rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 June 2021 | Revenge & Vigilante Justice | ||
| 2 | 15 June 2021 | Time Wasters & the Vulnerable | ||
| 3 | 22 June 2021 | Alcohol & House Parties | ||
| 4 | 29 June 2021 | Children & Parenting | ||
| 5 | 13 July 2021 | Housing | ||
Series 14 (2022)
| Episode | Broadcast Date | Episode Summary | Total viewers (millions) |
Channel 4 weekly rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 January 2022 | The Night Shift | ||
| 2 | 24 January 2022 | Drunk Women | ||
| 3 | 31 January 2022 | Custody | ||
Controversies
After Series 1 of the show, residents and councillors from Blackpool expressed their dismay at how their town was portrayed to potential visitors, and were concerned the gritty reality may discourage tourism.[1] In particular, the leader of Blackpool council Simon Blackburn voiced his concerns after watching the show.[2] On 26 July 2013, it was confirmed that Crackit Productions and the BBC were about to commission "Holiday Hospital 999", another show portraying Blackpool, but these plans were shelved. After the effect of "999: What's Your Emergency?" on the town's popularity with tourists, the Blackpool Gazette called this a "bullet dodged".[3]
PC Claire van Deurs Goss was disciplined by Lancashire Constabulary after being shown applying lip gloss at the wheel of a police vehicle in Series 1 Episode 6, an action which prompted over 50 complaints to the force.[4]
Despite praising the overall performance of his staff, Wiltshire Police Chief Constable Kier Pritchard admitted that the expletives used by some of the Wiltshire police officers featured in the show fell below the standards expected of them.[5]
References
- "TV & film news: gossip, pictures & video - Mirror Online". Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- "'999:What's Your Emergency' and how we can tackle Blackpool's social problems". Archived from the original on 20 December 2012. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
- "'Bullet dodged' on 999 TV show follow up". Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- "Blackpool PC disciplined over applying lip gloss". BBC News. 25 October 2012. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- "Chief constable unimpressed by swearing on 999 What's Your Emergency? (But he's full of praise of his officers)". swindonadvertiser.co.uk. 17 December 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2020.