Episodes

Episode 1 - Open Heart Surgery

Francis Wells performs heart surgery on a patient with a leaky mitral valve, which could cause his heart to fail.

Episode 2 - Awake Brain Surgery

Paul Grundy removes a tumour from Peter Chaisit-Charles' left temporal lobe. Peter is awake throughout the operation.

Episode 3 - Keyhole Stomach Repair

Richard Hardwick repairs a hernia on Susan Hyde's stomach through just five small incisions in her abdomen.

Episode 4 - Pituitary Tumour Removal

Nick Thomas removes a tumour from a patient's pituitary. It has been secreting growth hormones that have caused her lips to swell and could lead to serious heart problems.

The Series

The Operation: Surgery Live features Britain’s top surgeons performing major surgery live on Channel 4.

The operations are broadcast live to a studio audience at the Wellcome Collection auditorium in London, as well as to TV viewers at home, from some of the country’s leading NHS hospitals: Papworth, Southampton General, Addenbrooke’s and King’s College Hospital. Krishnan Guru-Murthy hosts the programmes.

Viewers can interact live with the operating theatre—via Twitter as well as phone and email—asking the surgeon questions as the operation unfolds. This groundbreaking series offers viewers a unique insight into human anatomy, and a chance to see the very latest surgical techniques in action.

With the operations playing out in real time, viewers witness the minute-by-minute drama of the operating room and gain an unprecedented understanding of what it takes to be a top surgeon, from their extraordinary skill and dexterity, to their ability to make tough decisions under pressure.

Surgery Live is not just must-see television, it's also a big hit on the interactive level. By the time the fourth episode aired the programme's feed on Twitter became the biggest in the world.

Credits
Executive Producer
Series Producer
Director
Line Producer (Hospitals)
Production Manager
Associate Producer
Interactive Producer
Inserts Producer
Produced in collaboration with
4 x 60' for Channel 4
Distributed by Zodiac Entertainment Distribution