Life Lines

All five series of the tense, fast-paced drama set in an ambulance control room.

'Ambulance service - is the patient breathing and conscious?'

It's a simple question, but call handler Carrie never knows where it might lead. Some calls are life-or-death, others hoaxes - and it's not always easy to tell the difference. The truth is often in the words her callers aren't saying - and it's only by listening hard and reaching out that Carrie can discover what's really going on.

Working gruelling 12-hour shifts, the pace is furious, the pressure never lets up and she finds herself juggling precious resources to try and help everyone in need. Whether it's a man intent on suicide, an acid attack victim, a baby in a bin or a refugee trapped in a refrigerated lorry, the heart-stopping emergencies keep on coming, and Carrie always keeps her cool. But the relentless stress is taking its toll - and when her judgement is called into question over a patient who later died, she finds her work and her personal life colliding dangerously....

Created by prize-winning playwright Al Smith and starring Sarah Ridgeway as Carrie, Life Lines has won numerous awards, including the Gold Award for Best Fictional Storytelling at the 2017 Radio Academy Awards and Best Original Series at the 2020 BBC Audio Drama Awards. This collection brings all five series of this gripping drama together for the first time.

Production credits:

Written by Al Smith.

Produced and directed by Sally Avens.

Production Coordinators: Ben Hollands and Mike Etherden.

Studio Managers: Caleb Knightley, Jenni Burnett and Mike Etherden.

Starring Sarah Ridgeway as Carrie, Michael Jibson as Ian and Nick Underwood, Don Gilet and Rick Warden as Will.

Cast - Series 1:

Destiny/Nurse - Clare Perkins

Dave/Will - Nick Underwood

Margaret - Elizabeth Bennett

Chris - Tom Forrister

Connor - Lloyd Hutchinson

Dr Farnsworth/Paramedic - James Lailey

Ben - Joe Sims

Penny/Operator - Adie Allen

Greg - Jason Barnett

Jess - Nicola Ferguson

Jenny - Kirsty Oswald

Andrew - Brian Protheroe

Caller - Sam Rix

Owen - Charlie Brand

Series 2:

Danny - Joe Sims

Will - Don Gilet

Brenda - Emma Handy

James - Lewis Bray

Robert - Sean Murray

Anna - Saffron Comber

Ali - Lizzie Stables

Jess/Ash - Alex Constantinidi

Policeman - Cameron Percival

Geraldine/Receptionist - Elizabeth Counsell

Fiona - Lucy Doyle

Robin - Tony Turner

Tanzir - Phaldut Sharma

Karen - Jeannette Percival

Joe - Liam Lau Fernandez

Missy - Susie Riddell

Series 3:

Peter - Jonjo O'Neill

Martin/Policeman - Shaun Mason

Darren - Michael Ajao

Monica - Amelia Lowdell

Gracie/Flo - Laura Christy

Luke/Craig - Will Kirk

Ailsa - Lucy Reynolds

Police Officer/Bill - Clive Hayward

Man/Paramedic - Ikky Elyas

Chris - Jonny Holden

Mike - Greg Jones

Arthur - Neil McCaul

Jenny - Sinead MacInnes

Paramedic - Scarlett Courtney

Frances - Rebecca Root

Series 4:

Naomi/Martina - Clare Corbett

Robin - Samuel James

Ange - Jane Whittenshaw

Iris - Cecilia Appiah

George - Michael Bertenshaw

Hugh - Carl Prekopp

Theo - Aaron Gelkoff

Phoebe - Charlotte East

Karl - Luke Nunn

Polly - Scarlett Brookes

Connor - Lloyd Hutchinson

Fergus - Ian Dunnett Jr

Series 5:

Abbas - Sharif Dorani

Joyce - Helen Norton

Angelica - Saffron Coomber

Devin - Justice Ritchie

Andy/Paramedic - Shaun Mason

Tom - Sam Dale

Jo/Emma - Grace Cooper Milton

Gwen/Train Driver - Christine Kavanagh

Paul - Luke Nunn

Chris/Justin - Joseph Ayre

Mark - Tim McMullan

Craig - Justice Ritchie