More4 documentary Lake District Rescue airs on Sunday

Viewers will get a first-hand insight into what it is like to be a mountain rescue crew member in the Lakes during a call-out. The footage was shot during their busiest summer ever. 

A glimpse into how calls are handled at one of the mountain rescue bases (Image: Summers Films/C4)

Richard Warren, chairman of Lake District Search and Mountain Rescue association, said the production company behind the documentary Summer Films wanted to create a series that covered all of the Cumbrian search and rescue teams, although the show will largely focus on five groups in charge of the 'honeypot' regions of the Lake District such as Wasdale and Langdale and Ambleside.  

Mr Warren said there had often been interest from TV show makers to produce a series covering mountain rescue in the Lake District.

However busy periods do not necessarily reflect in increased call-outs.

He said Wasdale MRT had no incidents to respond to over the Easter bank holiday despite thousands of tourists descending on the Lake District.

There has therefore been a concern that a TV production crew would 'twiddle their thumbs' waiting for a call. 

The mountain rescue teams respond to a man in distress in the Lake District (Image: Summer Films/C4)

"Summer Films insisted,” Mr Warren said. “We agreed it would be good.”

One of the snippets in the trailer shows a man clearly in distress.

When asked how Summer Films handled covering call-outs, Mr Warren said: “They are very good about it. Everybody who appears on camera has to agree formally.”

The people the teams attend to are asked by the rescuers if they want the body camera turned off when they arrive and are approached after by the production crew for written consent, Mr Warren said.

It was the busiest summer ever for the Lake District mountain rescue teams (Image: Summer Films/C4)

Mountain rescue team members are volunteers. One rescuer shown on the teaser trailer, which was released this week, said people thought he got paid for what he did. The teams rely on fundraising to operate.

The first episode of Lake District Rescue will be shown on More4 at 9pm this Sunday (7 April). There are six episodes for the series. It will also be available on catch-up on All 4.