Angels (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Angels was originally a British television
seasonal drama series dealing with the subject of student nurses and was broadcast by the BBC
between 1975 and 1978. The show's format then switched to a twice weekly soap opera format (although still seasonal) from 1979 to 1983. The show's title derived from the name of the hospital where the series was originally set, St. Angela's, Battersea, although in the early 1980s the scenario changed to Heath Green Hospital, Birmingham.
The series was devised by Paula Milne
. Early producers included Morris Barry
and Ron Craddock. The first episode was directed by Julia Smith
who became the show's producer in 1979. Her script editor on the later series was Tony Holland
.
Julia Smith enlisted Tony Holland as Angels script editor after the show became a twice-weekly soap.
Smith and Holland went on to create EastEnders
in the 1980s.
Angels, in its 1979 to 1983 weekly soap format, tackled issues such as contraception, alcoholism and promiscuity as part of the nurses' lives. Angels received criticism for its unglamorous depiction of the nursing profession, but Smith defended the programme, arguing the need to address such subjects in the series. Indeed, with its sometimes hard-hitting portrayal of young nurses facing up to the demands of the profession, Angels, particularly in its soap format days of 1979 to 1983, was grittily authentic. To this end, each actress taking a part was required to work on a real hospital ward to gain experience and thus contribute to the realism of the production.
The series also provided valuable early TV exposure for a variety of young actresses who have gone on to become famous faces and seasoned players on British TV such as Fiona Fullerton
, Lesley Dunlop
, Julie Dawn Cole
, Clare Clifford
and Pauline Quirke
. Additionally, Kathryn Apanowicz
,
Shirley Cheriton
and Judith Jacob
all went on to appear in EastEnders
, with Cheriton playing the particularly prominent role of Debbie Wilkins
.
From 2004 Channel 4 has screened the drama series No Angels
, also set in a hospital, and specifically aimed at showing nurses as more fallible characters.
British television
Public television broadcasting started in the United Kingdom in 1936, and now has a collection of free and subscription services over a variety of distribution media, through which there are over 480 channelsTaking the base Sky EPG TV Channels. A breakdown is impossible due to a) the number of...
seasonal drama series dealing with the subject of student nurses and was broadcast by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
between 1975 and 1978. The show's format then switched to a twice weekly soap opera format (although still seasonal) from 1979 to 1983. The show's title derived from the name of the hospital where the series was originally set, St. Angela's, Battersea, although in the early 1980s the scenario changed to Heath Green Hospital, Birmingham.
The series was devised by Paula Milne
Paula Milne
Paula Milne is a multi-award–winning British screenwriter who has been active since the 1970s. Her notable works include The Politician’s Wife, The Virgin Queen, Chandler & Co, Die Kinder, Second Sight, Driving Ambition, Small Island and Endgame.She also devised the BBC medical drama Angels.Further...
. Early producers included Morris Barry
Morris Barry
Morris Barry was born in Northampton and was a noticeable figure on the production side of the BBC in the 1960s and 1970s....
and Ron Craddock. The first episode was directed by Julia Smith
Julia Smith
Julia Smith was an English television director and producer.- Early career :London-born Smith became involved in television production when she directed the series Suspense in 1962...
who became the show's producer in 1979. Her script editor on the later series was Tony Holland
Tony Holland
Anthony John "Tony" Holland was an English television screenwriter best known as a writer and co-creator of the BBC soap opera EastEnders.-Early career:...
.
Julia Smith enlisted Tony Holland as Angels script editor after the show became a twice-weekly soap.
Smith and Holland went on to create EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
in the 1980s.
Angels, in its 1979 to 1983 weekly soap format, tackled issues such as contraception, alcoholism and promiscuity as part of the nurses' lives. Angels received criticism for its unglamorous depiction of the nursing profession, but Smith defended the programme, arguing the need to address such subjects in the series. Indeed, with its sometimes hard-hitting portrayal of young nurses facing up to the demands of the profession, Angels, particularly in its soap format days of 1979 to 1983, was grittily authentic. To this end, each actress taking a part was required to work on a real hospital ward to gain experience and thus contribute to the realism of the production.
The series also provided valuable early TV exposure for a variety of young actresses who have gone on to become famous faces and seasoned players on British TV such as Fiona Fullerton
Fiona Fullerton
Fiona Elizabeth Fullerton is a Nigerian-born British actress.She is perhaps best known for her role as KGB spy Pola Ivanova in the 1985 James Bond film A View to a Kill and as Alice in the 1972 film Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.Fullerton made her film debut in 1969 with a role in Run Wild, Run...
, Lesley Dunlop
Lesley Dunlop
Lesley Dunlop is a British actress.Daughter of the television writer Pat Dunlop, she began as a child actress in the seventies featuring in a BBC version of the classic A Little Princess and as Lydia Holly in the ITV adaptation of South Riding.Her transition to adult roles began by playing Lizzie...
, Julie Dawn Cole
Julie Dawn Cole
Julie Dawn Cole is an English television, film and stage actress with a nearly-four-decade career, who began as a child performer in what remains her best-remembered movie, 1971's Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, playing the spoiled Veruca Salt...
, Clare Clifford
Clare Clifford
Clare Clifford is a British actress.She remains best known for her appearances in the television dramas Angels and This Life.Other credits include Doctor Who, Bergerac, Cardiac Arrest, Peak Practice, The Bill, Torchwood, Doctors and Casualty.Clifford has made the transition from actor to feminist...
and Pauline Quirke
Pauline Quirke
Pauline Perpetua Quirke is a British actress. She is best known for her role as Sharon in the comedy series Birds of a Feather, alongside her lifelong friend and frequent acting partner Linda Robson...
. Additionally, Kathryn Apanowicz
Kathryn Apanowicz
Kathryn Apanowicz is a British actress best known for her 1980s television appearances in the BBC soap operas, Angels, where she played Nurse Rose Butchins, and EastEnders, where she played the caterer, Magda Czajkowski...
,
Shirley Cheriton
Shirley Cheriton
Shirley Cheriton is a British actress and performer, best known for her roles as Debbie Wilkins in the BBC soap opera EastEnders and her portrayal of Miss Prescott in the Are You Being Served? follow up, Grace & Favour...
and Judith Jacob
Judith Jacob
Judith Jacob , is a British actress best known for her role as the health visitor Carmel Roberts in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, a role she played from 1986 to 1989. During her stint in Albert Square, her character suffered from severe marital abuse and her husband's attempted murder and eventual...
all went on to appear in EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
, with Cheriton playing the particularly prominent role of Debbie Wilkins
Debbie Wilkins
Deborah "Debbie" Wilkins is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Shirley Cheriton.Debbie was Walford's first upwardly mobile character...
.
From 2004 Channel 4 has screened the drama series No Angels
No Angels (TV series)
No Angels is a critically acclaimed British television comedy drama series, produced by the independent production company World Productions for Channel 4, which ran for three seasons from 2004 to 2006. It was devised by Toby Whithouse.-Premise:...
, also set in a hospital, and specifically aimed at showing nurses as more fallible characters.