Angels (TV series)

***Angels*** is a British television seasonal drama series about student nurses. It was broadcast by the BBC between 1975 and 1983. It was described as the "_Z-Cars_ of nursing".

From 1979 the show changed to a seasonal twice-weekly soap opera format.

## Background and creators

The show's title came from the name of the hospital where the first series was set. This was St. Angela's in Battersea. In the 1980s this was changed to Heath Green Hospital in Birmingham. The series was devised by Paula Milne. Early producers included Morris Barry and Ron Craddock. The first episode was directed by Julia Smith. She became the show's producer in 1979. Her script editor on the later series was Tony Holland. Filming took place at St James' Hospital in Balham, London. This has since been demolished. Location filming for the fictional Heath Green Hospital took place at Walsgrave Hospital in Coventry. This has since been demolished and replaced by University Hospital Coventry.

Julia Smith enlisted Tony Holland as the _Angels_ script editor after the show became a twice-weekly soap. In the 1980s Smith and Holland created _EastEnders_. Writers on its first series included Jill Hyem, Anne Valery and Adele Rose. Hyem and Valery later co-wrote _Tenko_.

### Actors

The series included some young actors who would later become better known. These include Fiona Fullerton, Érin Geraghty, Lesley Dunlop, Julie Dawn Cole, Angela Bruce, Clare Clifford and Pauline Quirke. Additionally, Kathryn Apanowicz, Shirley Cheriton and Judith Jacob all later appeared in _EastEnders_. Mamta Kaash played a key role in the hospital drama _Casualty_.

### Theme music

The guitar-driven theme tune, similar to American police dramas of the time, was called _Motivation_. It was composed and performed by Alan Parker.

## Critical reception

_Angels_, 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. _Angels_ tried to be realistic and authentic. Each actress was required to work on a real hospital ward to gain experience.

## Cast

|scope="col" width="230"|Actor|scope="col" width="230"|Character|scope="col" width="230"|Series Duration|
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|Fiona Fullerton|Patricia Rutherford|Series 1-3||||
|Julie Dawn Cole|Jo Longhurst|Series 1-3||||
|Lesley Dunlop|Ruth Fullman|Series 1||||
|Clare Clifford|Shirley Brent|Series 1-4||||
|Karan David|Sita Patel|Series 1-3||||
|Érin Geraghty|Maureen Morahan|Series 1-3||||
|Angela Bruce|Sandra Ling|Series 1-5||||
|Joanna Monro|Anna Newcross|Series 4-7||||
|Shirley Cheriton|Katy Betts|Series 4-7||||
|Carol Holmes|Jean MacEwen|Series 4-6, 8-9||||
|Shelley King|Jay Harper|Series 4-5||||
|Kate Saunders|Brenda Cotteral|Series 4||||
|Clare Walker|Sarah Lloyd-Smith #1|Series 4||||
|Kate Lock|Sarah Lloyd-Smith #2|Series 5||||
|Kathryn Apanowicz|Rose Butchins|Series 5-7||||
|Sharon Rosita|Fleur Barrett|Series 5-7||||
|Judith Jacob|Beverley Slater|Series 5-7||||
|Susan Gilmore|Elizabeth Fitt|Series 6-7||||
|Fay Howard|Adrienne O'Shea|Series 6||||
|Julia Williams|Tracey Willoughby|Series 7-9||||
|Sarah Lam|Linda Mo|Series 7-8||||
|Pauline Quirke|Vicky Smith|Series 8-9||||
|Mamta Kaash|Nargis Khan|Series 8||||
|Al Ashton|Mike Hathaway|Series 8||||
|Michelle Martin|Janet Dickens|Series 8-9||||
|Juliet Waley|Alison Streeter|Series 8-9||||
|Joy Lemoine|Ayo Lapido|Series 9||||

## Books

Some TV tie-in novels were published to coincide with the series.
- _Angels_ by Paula Milne & Leslie Duxbury, Pan Books/BBC Books, 1975.
- _Flights of Angels_ by Paula Milne, Pan Books/BBC Books, 1976. Includes novelisations of the Season 2 episodes _Vocation_ and _Walkabout_.
- _New Angels_ by Paul Milne, BBC Books, 1978.
- _Angel Katy_ by Leah Harrow, Dragon Books, 1979.

## DVD Release

On 18 March 2013 Simply Media released the Series 1 (fifteen episodes) of _Angels_ on DVD. Series 2 was released in September 2014.

## Other websites

- British Film Institute Screen Online

## Infobox (television)

- **genre**: Drama
- **creator**: Paula Milne
- **starring**: Fiona Fullerton
Lesley Dunlop
Julie Dawn Cole
Angela Bruce
Pauline Quirke
Kathryn Apanowicz
Shirley Cheriton
Judith Jacob
Clare Clifford
- **country**: United Kingdom
- **language**: English
- **num series**: 9
- **num episodes**: 220
- **producer**: Ron Craddock, Morris Barry, Julia Smith
- **runtime**: 50 minutes 1975 - 1978
30 minutes 1979 - 1983
- **network**: BBC One, BBC1