Two extras from the BBC series Blue Lights with real first-aid training leapt into action when a genuine emergency arose while they were dressed as cops for filming
Two extras on BBC1’s hit police series Blue Lights helped save the life of a member of the public who’d had a heart attack after being called upon to give CPR.
Dressed as police officers at the time, the pair, who both had first aid training, had no time to explain they were just actors working as supporting artists on the Belfast-based drama.
With both Frances Mitchell and Tiárnan McGarrity realising that their medical training meant they could make a difference – Frances is a trained lifeguard while Tiárnan has care home experience – they jumped into action.
Show writer and co-creator Declan Lawn said he was immensely proud of how the pair, who have both been extras on the show for a couple of years, had reacted.
“They were filming one day last summer in their full police uniform, and they had to walk up the street from where the extras were gathered up to where we were shooting,” Declan explained.
“As they walked along, someone called them over and said, ‘Please, please, there’s a man having a heart attack’. They were, of course, thinking ‘we’re not actually police’ but the next thing they thought was ‘well, we’re both CPR trained, so let’s see what we can do’.
“They went over and gave this gentleman CPR and kept him alive until the paramedics arrived and he was taken to an ambulance – and he survived. Even from a couple of fake police officers, it was a pretty heroic thing to do.
“They said it was really odd because they were really conscious that people thought that the police were there and had the situation under control. They had a moment when they were about to explain that they weren’t real police officers but then they thought ‘we don’t actually have time – this man needs help’. They knew that they could do what they had to do, so they just got on with it.
“In the end, they did a really good thing, and we were all super proud of them. We got them together on set to thank them for their quick thinking. It’s just a funny situation where fake cops had to step in because there weren’t any real ones around.”
The BBC series, which has five million loyal fans, will start filming a fourth run for BBC One in February. A clip from Blue Lights showing a dementia storyline has had 35million views on YouTube and attracted more than 10,000 comments after people were moved by the heartfelt scenes.
Many of the messages, from people all over the world, were about family members with dementia. In the scene, Tommy (Nathan Braniff) pulls over to chat with Raymond, after spotting the giveaway sign that he is wearing one shoe and one slipper. Despite not knowing his surname and claiming that he’s heading for the Honky Tonk Highway, Raymie’s story about being pals with Kris Kristofferson turns out to be true, as the police officers discovered when they dropped him home.
One fan said of Tommy: “It’s not just his attention to detail – it’s his compassion that comes shining through.” Another agreed: “I lost my mother two years ago to dementia. God bless the people that help with this horrible disease.”
Declan said that the story was based on a real life situation they’d been told about by a police officer. “I was astonished when I looked at it and it said 35million views and 1m likes, with 10,000 comments from people all over the world, America, Australia, South America, Europe – many of whom haven’t seen the show.
“That particular story about dementia seems to have really resonated with people. One of the great things you can do in a cop show is try and highlight various social issues and things that people are talking about. That one was just three short scenes and yet that is one that a lot of people want to talk to me about.”
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