A PRODUCTION company based at the University of York is creating a groundbreaking new series.

Air Television has been commissioned by UKTV to make 20 one-hour episodes of a show which will be the first to follow the Hazardous Area Response Team (HART), from the Yorkshire Ambulance Service.

Thanks to the company’s relationship with the emergency services, a deal has been made with which enables them to use drone cameras at emergency scenes. Filming began two months ago, and they have already captured dramatic footage of a major fire, a river rescue, and several major road accidents.

Andy Joynson is co-executive producer, and said the show would be the first documentary to highlight the medical team’s advanced training - which enables them to perform surgical procedures on the street, in collapsed buildings or in potholes - in ways not previously seen on television.

He said: “I think the use of the drone gives you an overview of the scene, you otherwise wouldn’t see. If you’re at a road traffic collision on the A1, for example, you can see what’s in front of your eyes, but don’t see the bigger picture - the queue building up for miles behind and going down the arterial roads. It gives a strategic overview but also gives you a view of just how the emergency services work together in a very coordinated way - you will see the fire brigade, police and ambulance, even the air ambulance there, just just get the big picture.”

The HART is one of 15 specialist medical units set up after the 7/7 London bombings to treat badly injured patients in extreme environments, and operate around the region, with high-profile incidents including the 2014 tyre fire at Gascoigne Wood near Sherburn-in-Elmet, the 2015 fire at a Tadcaster pumping station which killed Mick Jennings, and - back in 2010 - working with firefighters at part of the Nestle factory complex in a training exercise simulating an explosion. Andy, who runs Air Television with Ian Cundall, said their longstanding relationship with the Yorkshire Ambulance Service - the pair produced Helicopter Heroes for the BBC for many years - meant they were the first choice when it came to filming the HART. He said: “We see ourselves as working with them rather than just filming them, we hope that’s the case anyway.“I’ve always said working with these people is a real privilege because they do lifesaving stuff, we make television programmes and to have an insight into what they do and to be able to tell these stories is great. I’m proud of it, we love the work we do and we love the people we work with.”

The show - working title NHS Rescue Squad - is due to air in early 2018 on UKTV’s Really channel.