The volume of 999 calls has jumped by 60% in the last generation, with 31 million received in 2011. Filmed 24/7 with police, fire and ambulance teams in Blackpool over six weeks, from the moment calls are received, this documentary series shows how Britain is changing, through the eyes of the emergency services on the front line. The series highlights issues ranging from the damage caused by drugs and alcohol to the reality of domestic violence, and from the dysfunctional way that some people bring up their children to the plight of those who slip through society’s safety net. —— “I can speak drunk quite fluently on a Saturday night” Alcohol is fueling problems across the UK. Britain likes to drink and Blackpool is a magnet for stag and hen parties, with around 2000 clubs and bars. ‘It’s a mixture between a zoo and Jeremy Kyle’s waiting room,’ says Sergeant Dunne. ‘We’ve practically turned into a nation of just drunkards really, haven’t we?’. ‘You learn a new language when you start working here,’ says ambulance control operator Alex Bathgate. ‘When I first started I couldn’t understand a word anyone said. But four years down the line I can speak drunk quite fluently on a Saturday night.’ But there are more serious consequences to our alcohol consumption than falling over and having a sore head the next morning. With more than a quarter of adults drinking to hazardous levels, alcohol is a major factor in half of all crime and more than 70% of violent crimes, and costs …
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