Motorcycle racer Guy Martin will feature with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) Humber crew in a new TV series. Guy Martin: Proper Jobs airs on U&Dave at 8 pm on Sunday, 25th of January. Martin will wear RNLI yellow all‑weather gear and train with volunteers on the 17m Severn class lifeboat. The first episode follows him through three days of lifesaving training with the Humber crew.
RNLI Humber Coxswain Sean Cheston said Martin was tested hard. “With only three days, he needed to pick things up quickly,” he said. “Across the three days,s we spent more than 20 hours at sea.” Cheston said the training included core skills and a full search-and-rescue simulation for a missing person. The crew also practised evacuating a casualty to the HM Coastguard Rescue Helicopter.
During filming, the crew answered a real distress call to a drifting vessel in a busy shipping area. “Guy seamlessly got involved as part of the crew to help them back to safety,” Cheston said.
Martin described his time with the Humber crew as “brilliant”. He said he joined in with tasks from day one, including steering and mooring the lifeboat. "I had a lot of respect for all of the crew,” Martin said. “They’re so professional. They all look out for each other.”
He highlighted the charity’s reliance on volunteers. “The RNLI is a charity and a massive 97% of its people are volunteers,” he said. “Completely reliant on public donations.” Cheston added that by the end of training, Martin had “really proved himself”. “I’d happily enrol Guy as one of our volunteers,” he said.
The episode also explores the motivations of the lifeboat crew, the personal sacrifices they make, and the support they give each other. The RNLI episode launches the four‑part Proper Jobs series on U&Dave and on the U streaming service.
