Animal Rescue Live: Supervet Special

17 July 2019

Animal Rescue Live returns next month for an even more ambitious and dynamic second season on Channel 4.

Last time, the series launched a week-long call to action for the nation to come together to help rehome the thousands of displaced animals in shelters across the country, giving them the chance of a new start in a forever home. 

The show introduced us to hard-to-home animals, like Clyde the Dogue de Bordeaux and Sausage the parrot, who both found homes by being featured on the show – in fact every animal in the Newcastle Dog and Cat Shelter was rehomed during or shortly after the campaign week.

This time the team are ramping up the campaign, by asking viewers not only to help rehome animals, but to donate much needed money to help support the amazing work shelters do every single day.

Around 250,000 animals go into UK rescue centres each year, and shelters across the UK are struggling to cope. This year’s featured shelter is no exception.

Based in the Raystede Centre for Animal Welfare in Lewes, East Sussex, this unique five-day live event is once again presented by Professor Noel Fitzpatrick, Steve Jones and Kate Quilton.

This time, the presenters will be joined every day by a host of famous faces, all passionate to support the campaign. Whilst Raystede is the show’s base, Animal Rescue Live is very much a national campaign and rescue organisations the length and breadth of the country are taking part. Indeed, the series will also encourage viewers to make contact with their local centre and to offer some much-needed volunteer support.

The episodes will take viewers to the frontline of the rehoming process and throughout the week will follow adoptions as they take place in real time; show how shelters transform the lives of animals and humans alike; offer myth-busting advice about the more unusual species that aren’t always considered as starter domestic animals; and demonstrate why it’s so important for first-time owners to consider rescue animals over buying a pet in a shop or online.

Ed Coulthard, Executive Producer said: “This is a live series with a big heart. Thousands of pets are abandoned in the UK each year – and now Channel 4 viewers can make a difference, by donating money, adopting a pet from one of the many animals shelters around the UK or offering to volunteer.”

Tim Hancock, Commissioning Editor at C4 said: “Animal shelters across the country desperately need our help, so we’re making this year’s Animal Rescue Live even bigger and better; with a new donation line to help support struggling rescue homes, more famous faces in the studio to help motivate Britain into making a difference, and a whole new cast of animals for the country to fall in love with.”

Animal Rescue Live: Supervet Special is a Blast! Films production. Series Producer is Richard Park and Executive Producers are Ed Coulthard and Dermot Caulfield. The series was commissioned for Channel 4 by Tim Hancock, Commissioning Editor for Features and Formats.

For more information contact: Julie Pickford, jpkfrd@aol.com