The award-winning documentary series '999 Critical Condition' returns tonight with a new series filmed at Birmingham Queen Elizabeth Hospital. The show, praised as 'powerful' and 'a difficult watch', provides an unfiltered look at the high-pressure trauma unit.
Series Overview
First aired in 2020, '999 Critical Condition' is a Channel 5 fly-on-the-wall documentary that follows patients and staff in a major hospital trauma unit. The series offers a raw glimpse into life-saving treatment and life-threatening injuries. The Guardian described it as 'the most nerve-shreddingly hardcore hospital doc ever', with reviewer Jack Seale adding: 'Every one of the cases in Critical Condition will stick with you.'
New Series Details
Tonight (May 12), the sixth series premieres on Channel 5 at 9pm. Cameras are placed on the front line at Birmingham Queen Elizabeth Hospital, capturing staff navigating extreme life-or-death scenarios. One case involves a man who impaled himself after falling from scaffolding. The synopsis states: 'A man working at a church falls from scaffold, impaling himself on a flagpole.'
Viewer Reactions
The series has been hailed as 'the best on TV' by fans. One viewer wrote: 'It's fascinating and also mad what these magicians can do with the body to help fix you. #999CriticalCondition.' Another commented: 'It's a difficult watch and has close scenes of amazing surgery; #999CriticalCondition on @channel5_tv last night really showed how life can change forever, in seconds.' A fourth noted: 'Watching #999CriticalCondition and this guy has landed on his face and his eyeball is hanging out of the socket. HIS ENTIRE EYEBALL. I've never been squeamish with programs like this, but I actually felt sick.'
Previous Series
Earlier episodes were filmed at Royal Stoke University Hospital. The University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust stated: 'Filmed at Royal Stoke University Hospital before COVID-19, 999: Critical Condition showcases the relentless fast pace of the department's daily workload in a way never seen before on television. It's a powerful, moving and ultimately awe-inspiring look at how our staff work to save the lives of their sickest and most injured patients.'
Episodes air weekly on Channel 5 and are available on streaming platforms shortly after broadcast.
