The BBC has commissioned new factual programmes for BBC One and BBC iPlayer focusing on the continued coronavirus lockdown across the UK.
Ross Kemp: Britain’s Volunteer Army is a heartwarming series which will celebrate the heroic efforts of some of the country’s 750,000 volunteers during the coronavirus crisis.
The programme will be an uplifting celebration of the nation coming together to help one another in a time of uncertainty and fear, as Ross gets stuck in and volunteers in his own neighbourhood.
Even before the current crisis the NHS was facing a huge challenge, with over a third of nurses looking for new roles. Saving Our Nurses follows a new revolutionary scheme designed to reverse this trend. In the days before we applauded them in the streets, could this scheme help to save our nurses and help to save the lives of the most vulnerable?
Voiced by Sophie Raworth, Our Finest Hours will take a look at other times in history when the nation has pulled together in a crisis. The BBC factual programme will combine wartime archive and contemporary news footage from across the UK to illustrate our response to extraordinary times.
HealthCheck UK Live will be returning with a mix of expert guidance and some surprise guests, all helping to guide viewers through the mental and physical challenges of lockdown. Dr Xand van Tulleken and Michelle Ackerley will host, with Angela Rippon and some unmissable lockdown moves from Mr Motivator.
Finally, The One Show will continue to reflect how people around the UK are dealing with life during the coronavirus crisis, telling the compelling and incredible stories of our everyday heroes, alongside celebrity guests entertaining us and keeping us company.
Carla-Maria Lawson Head of Daytime and Early Peak, says: “Viewers look to BBC One Daytime programming to offer reassurance and trustworthy content which also entertains, especially in times of heightened uncertainty. We can bring the nation together through storytelling which has integrity, heart and humanity at its core.”
Ross Kemp says: “It makes me immensely proud to see the British public mobilising in their thousands to come to the assistance of the vulnerable in our society, and the NHS, in their time of need. This pandemic has produced all sorts of unlikely heroes and it will be a real privilege to meet some of them and celebrate their selfless work.”