Rosamund Pike tells Radio 2 listeners about her night with London Ambulance Service

Saltburn star Rosamund Pike has revealed her night shift with London Ambulance Service paramedics was “slightly more involved” than she anticipated and gave her hands-on experience of life in NHS emergency care.

The acclaimed actor told Romesh Ranganathan on his hit BBC Radio 2 Saturday morning show that she had joined the ambulance crew to prepare for her role in the psychological thriller Hallow Road.

She said: “I had a wonderful time with London Ambulance Service, slightly more involved than I anticipated!

“I was expecting to be a bystander, and ended up helping them as they gave someone gas and air in a sports bar.

“I was really hoping that he wasn’t going to look into my eyes.”

Romesh joked: “If you look up and see Rosamund Pike, you’re thinking ‘how good is this gas and air?’”

Rosamund joined paramedics Erica Greene and Tom Hazelwood for a shift, observing their work and learning about the pressures and realities of the job.

She said: “You get the atmosphere of the place of work, it’s the responsibilities you get the professional side and what I’m hoping to get is obviously is all the stuff in the cracks: the truth of what the profession is and where it wears on a soul and where the sort of gallows humour is when you’re doing a very heavy job, like being a paramedic.”

Hallow Road – which also stars Matthew Rhys – is about two parents in a race against time when they receive a distressing call from their teenage daughter in the middle of the night.

Paramedic Erica recalled: “Rosamund really wanted to understand more about what it’s like working as a paramedic so she could bring her character to life and get all the details right.”

As part of her research, Rosamund was also taught basic life-saving skills, learning how to give chest compressions and use a defibrillator.

She made a video urging all Londoners to learn those life-saving skills and sign up to be a London Lifesaver.

In the video, Rosamund says: “I’ve just been taught how to save a life with London Ambulance Service.

“It takes only a few minutes to learn these skills and give you the confidence to use them when it matters most.”

The actor goes on to explain that most cardiac arrests happen in the home so people who learn how to give chest compressions could end up saving a loved one.

She ends the video saying: “Please follow me and sign up to be a London Lifesaver.”

You can become a London Lifesaver here.

London Lifesavers is funded through a grant provided by NHS Charities Together to our charity, London Ambulance Charity. If you would like to donate to our dedicated charity, please head to our Just Giving page or visit our dedicated campaign webpage for more information.