Channel 4 orders third series of One Born Every Minute

21 July 2011

Channel 4's Head of Documentaries, Hamish Mykura has greenlit 14 episodes of the Bafta award-winning documentary series One Born Every Minute from independent producer Dragonfly.

2011's 12-part run averaged 3.6 million viewers and received widespread critical acclaim. After two years filming with the maternity ward of the Princess Anne Hospital, Southampton, including the Alternative Christmas Message delivered by the midwives, production will move to the Leeds General Infirmary.

Hamish Mykura, Head of Documentaries, said: "One Born Every Minute is firmly established at the heart of our schedule. It promises to be a splendid series - an unflinching account of the medical realities of giving birth in a modern maternity ward, told with film-making that's both nuanced and touching."

Series Producer Dominique Foster added: "Leeds General Infirmary were really keen to have us and offered us the opportunity to have our remote cameras in the theatre for the first time. We also wanted to show a different region of the UK."  

Series three will be bigger in scale and ambition than the first two series. It's being filmed over a longer period (seven weeks) and with greater access to hospital precincts. Filming 24-hours a day, seven days a week, the new series will aim to record the intimacy and drama of everyday life in a maternity hospital.

Channel 4 and Dragonfly have pioneered the technique of placing multiple fixed cameras in real environments, resulting in intimate and warm documentary content.

Production credits - Executive Producer Peter Moore, Series Producer Dominique Foster, Series Director David Brindley.

Filming starts in September and series three will TX in early 2012.