ABC orders Luke Wilson blue light series

ABC has ordered an American remake of Belgium blue light format Emergency Call.

The show will be produced by 8Hours Television, the indie established by former Channel 4 exec Adeline Ramage Rooney, and is due to air later this month.

Fronted by actor Luke Wilson, it explores the crucial first minutes of an emergency through the eyes of emergency services call handlers.

The series follows the dramatic moments leading up to the arrival of firefighters, police and medical services teams, and focuses on the extreme, suspenseful and sometimes humorous stories that flood 911 call centres.

Ramage Rooney, who launched Gordon Ramsay’s One Potato Two Potato, co-founded 8Hours in 2018. She will exec produce alongside co-founder Jonny Slow, showrunner Grant Kahler and Wilson.

It was commissioned by Karey Burke, president of ABC Entertainment and is based on the original format created by Belgian company De Chinezen. The format is licensed by Amsterdam-based Lineup Industries.

“An estimated 240 million calls are made every year to 911 call centres across the country,” said Burke. “While we often hear about some of these stories on the news, we rarely hear about the heroes that are the first point of contact and at times, essential to saving a life.