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 the series of this gripping drama together for the first time.