Surgeons: At The Edge of Life returns to screens with a new series filmed in Scotland, following the surgeons and patients at the centre of some of the country’s most complex and life changing operations.

The series takes viewers inside NHS Lothian hospitals including the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, the Western General Hospital and St John’s Hospital in Livingston, where around 55,000 complex procedures are carried out each year.

At the Western General Hospital, Consultant Urological Surgeon CJ Shukla is treating one of the rarest cancers seen in the UK, a condition affecting just 700 men annually.

His patient, Alastair from Inverness, has been diagnosed with an aggressive tumour which has already begun to spread, leaving him facing a highly complex and deeply personal operation.

The surgery will involve a partial amputation followed by intricate reconstruction to preserve both function and quality of life, before moving on to remove lymph nodes in the groin where the cancer has spread.

Across the city at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, another surgical team is preparing for a case that highlights the severe impact of endometriosis.

Consultant Gynaecologist Cameron Martin is treating Laura, 37, from Edinburgh, whose stage 4 endometriosis has led to the development of a large pelvic cyst measuring nearly 20cm.

The condition has already caused the loss of one kidney, making the upcoming operation both urgent and exceptionally complex.

To carry out the procedure safely, Cameron is working alongside Consultant Urological Surgeon Alex Laird, with the two specialists combining their expertise to remove the cyst, protect Laura’s remaining kidney and perform a total hysterectomy.

The series continues to focus not just on surgical skill, but on the human stories behind each case, capturing the decisions, risks and outcomes that define modern medicine.

Produced by Dragonfly Film and Television Productions for BBC Two, BBC Scotland and BBC iPlayer, the programme offers a rare and unfiltered view into operating theatres across Scotland.

It is a reminder of the scale of work carried out every day within the NHS, and the extraordinary level of care required when lives quite literally rest in the balance.