Angels

1 9 7 5 - 1 9 8 3 (UK)
220 x 50/25 minute episodes

Angels followed the personal and professional lives of a group of six student nurses at (the fictitious) St Angela's Hospital in Battersea, London. 

The show took a far less romantic look at the lives of nurses in the modern NHS than traditional soaps such as General Hospital. 

Created by the writer Paula Milne, the series started life as a 13 week run of 50-minute episodes but was sliced in to two half-hour episodes a week in 1979 to strengthen the BBC's peak-time ratings. 

Despite its popularity, Angels drew criticism for its uncompromising portrayal of nurses' lives which included alcoholism and sexual promiscuity. The then producer Julia Smith,  who went on to launch EastEnders, replied by saying: "There are a lot of tensions in a young nurse's life; it's no wonder some turn to drink. When you're eighteen you've got a lot of growing up to do."

Angels helped establish the acting careers of Shirley Cheriton, who went on to appear in EastEnders, and Pauline Quirke, who made her name in the long-running comedy Birds of a Feather (BBC, 1989-98). But just as important was its role in reinvigorating medical drama, providing a link between the cosy world of Emergency Ward 10 (ITV, 1957-67) and harder-edged shows such as Casualty (BBC, 1986-) and Holby City (BBC, 1999-).