Disaster at Sea: The Piper Alpha Story (BBC 2/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Monday 1st September 2025)

Dark Cloud Over Aberdeen. Series 1, episode 2. The story picks up with the oil platform still ablaze, engulfed in an intense, unrelenting fire fed by oil and gas, then the entire accommodation block collapses into the sea. Many of the 61 men who eventually survive are now in the water, trying to get the attention of fast rescue boats braving the dangerous conditions. Back on the mainland, questions about the cause of disaster are asked after the initial shock of the first few days. Through news archive and deeply personal testimonies, this edition charts the trauma that remains for both the bereaved and the survivors, and the growing calls for accountability and justice as workers across the North Sea began speaking out.

Saving Lives at Sea (BBC 2/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Thursday 4th September 2025) ** PICK OF THE WEEK **

Hunt for Missing Kayakers. Series 10, episode 6. In Portaferry, Northern Ireland, the crew face an increasingly urgent search for two kayakers who’ve been blown out to sea in 50 mile an hour winds. In Lyme Regis, on the Dorset coast, the crew respond to a mayday from a yacht that’s lost engine power and is dangerously close to the rocks.

All TV guide information taken from DigiGuide — www.getdigiguide.tv/?p=1&r=15119

Disaster at Sea: The Piper Alpha Story (BBC 2/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Monday 25th August 2025) ** NEW SERIES **

The Golden Ticket. Series 1, episode 1. On July 6 1988, a series of explosions destroyed the Piper Alpha oil platform in the North Sea, killing 167 men and leaving only 61 survivors. In minute-by-minute detail, this documentary tells the story of how the disaster unfolded and the search for truth, using the testimony of survivors given just months after the disaster, now re-created by actors, and interviews with those whose lives were changed for ever.

Saving Lives at Sea (BBC 2/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Wednesday 27th August 2025) ** PICK OF THE WEEK **

Into the Eye of the Storm. Series 10, episode 5. A 999 call comes in from the young son of a windsurfer in trouble and the Mudeford crew battle 80mph winds in an increasingly desperate search. The Hastings crew race to the rescue of a fishing vessel caught in the worst storm to hit the southern coast in 50 years. On Crantock Beach in Cornwall, the lifeguards leap into action after they spot two men on an uninhabited island known as Goose Rock.

All TV guide information taken from DigiGuide — www.getdigiguide.tv/?p=1&r=15119