On 5 July 2007 over 200 people crowded into Wellcome Collection to watch the live relay of an open-heart operation from Papworth Hospital in Cambridge. The audience gasped, gawped and were stunned into silence as Francis Wells and team performed the delicate reconstruction of the mitral valve in the heart.

Over two-and-a-half hours the audience watched and listened to the team at work, asking questions to find out more about the operation and the impact on the patient. The operation was a resounding success and the patient could sit up in bed the next morning and talk to the surgeon about his operation. He was able to return home on Thursday 12 July. Shown here are some edited highlights of the night.