Scores of people raced to join the organ donor register after watching a 'heart-breaking' episode of Hospital last night.
On Twitter viewers said they were struggling to get onto an overloaded NHS Blood and Transplant website during the BBC Two documentary.
The series's penultimate episode told the stories of patients due to have transplant surgery and of a mother who wanted to donate tissue from her terminally ill baby.
People watching the programme said they had 'tears in their eyes' and were immediately moved to sign up to be donors themselves.
Lauren, 27, wanted to donate tissues from one of her twins who would die shortly after he was born because of a development problem, but in the end it wasn't possible
Last night's episode, the fifth in the series, followed doctors and patients at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital and Liverpool Women's Hospital.
It followed Pamela, Collette and Michael, and Lauren and Gary, who were all waiting to have transplant surgery of some kind.
Pamela, in her mid-fifties, was given just 24 hours to prepare for a kidney transplant she had been waiting for for six months because her own only had five per cent of their original function.
Collette, 33, donated a kidney to her 36-year-old brother whose own had stopped working.
And Lauren, 27, was pregnant with twins wanted to donate tissues from one of the babies – Albi – who had a genetic disease meaning he would die shortly after birth.
As the programme highlighted the small number of organs available to a lot of waiting donors, people on Twitter said they were moved to try and make a difference.
The credits revealed that, while 80 per cent of adults in the UK support organ donation, only 38 per cent of them have signed up to the register.
But scores of Hospital viewers did their part last night and got #organdonation trending on Twitter.
Dave Doran tweeted: 'While watching #Hospital this evening, even I had a tear in my eye for the baby that only lived for 2.5 hours. I am now registered as an organ donor.'
User Sian said: 'After watching #Hospital tonight I felt I had to sign up straight away'.
Collette, 33, donated a kidney to her brother Michael who was suffering from end-stage kidney failure and had to spend four hours on dialysis four times a week
Dave Doran tweeted: 'While watching #Hospital this evening, even I had a tear in my eye for the baby that only lived for 2.5 hours. I am now registered as an organ donor'
User Sian said: 'After watching #Hospital tonight I felt I had to sign up straight away'
Ian Fearnley said: 'Let's share and get the ball rolling ... I've signed up to be an organ donor'
Andrew Harwood added: 'After watching tonight's #Hospital I've been inspired to sign up'
Michael Tomlinson said: 'Heartbreaking watching #Hospital tonight. Had a positive effect,' alongside a photo confirming he had signed up
Ian Fearnley said: 'Let's share and get the ball rolling ... I've signed up to be an organ donor'.
Andrew Harwood added: 'After watching tonight's #Hospital I've been inspired to sign up.'
Michael Tomlinson
