General Hospital (UK TV series)
| General Hospital | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Drama |
| Starring | Lewis Jones David Garth James Kerry Ian White Lynda Bellingham Judy Buxton John Halstead Carmen Munroe Tony Adams |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 6 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes (Series 1) 60 Minutes (Series 2-6) |
| Production company(s) | Associated Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV |
| Original release | 19 October 1972 – 26 January 1979 |
General Hospital is a British daytime soap opera produced by ATV that ran on ITV from 1972 to 1979. It was not modelled after the American drama of the same name. Rather, it was an attempt to replicate the success of its predecessor, Emergency - Ward 10. The original theme music was "Girl in the White Dress" by the Derek Scott Orchestra which was used until 1975, when it was replaced by Johnny Pearson's "Red Alert" for the 60 minute episodes.
In 1972, ITV started to broadcast programmes on weekday afternoons, triggering a new wave of productions to fill out the extended schedules. Among the first of these shows, which were aimed at giving advertisers access to housewives, were the long-running rural soap Emmerdale Farm (YTV) and the twice-weekly medical drama General Hospital.
Set in a fictional Midlands town, the series followed the romantic and professional lives of its doctors and nurses. While the location and the characters names had been changed, in most other respects General Hospital was almost identical to its predecessor, Emergency – Ward 10, a deliberate attempt to recreate its success.
In 1975, after 270 twice-weekly episodes, General Hospital was given a prime time slot on Friday evening. The move saw the episode lengths double from 30 to 60 minutes, with each episode being more self-contained, while on-screen medical procedures, including detailed scenes of surgery, became more prominent.
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