Children's Ward
Encyclopedia
Children's Ward is a British children's television drama series produced by Granada Television
and broadcast on the ITV
network as part of its Children's ITV
strand on weekday afternoons. The programme was set – as the title suggests – in Ward B1, the children's ward of the ficticious South Park Hospital (known as Sparky's), and told the stories of the young patients and the staff present there. Aimed at older children and teenagers, Children's Ward was a long-lived series for a children's drama, starting life in 1988as a contribution to the Dramarama
anthology strand, "Blackbird Singing In The Dead of Night", then first broadcast as a series 1989 and running from then until 2000.
The series was conceived by Granada staff writers Paul Abbott
and Kay Mellor
, both of whom have subsequently gone on to enjoy highly successful careers as award-winning writers of adult television drama. At the time, they were both working on the soap opera Coronation Street
, and had recently collaborated on a script for Dramarama.
Abbott, who had been through a troubled childhood himself, had initially wanted to set the series in a children's care home rather than a hospital, but this was vetoed by Granada executives. During the course of its run, however, Children's Ward won many plaudits for covering difficult issues such as cancer, alcoholism, drug addiction and child abuse in a sensitive manner. The programme won many awards, including in 1996 a BAFTA
Children's Award for Best Drama, won by an episode in which a murderer lures children to him via the internet and is – highly unusually for children's television – not eventually caught.
As well as Abbott and Mellor, the series was worked on by many writers who have gone on to enjoy successful careers in adult television drama, perhaps most notably Russell T Davies, who was the show's producer, and writer of several episodes, from 1992 to 1995.
The decision to end Children's Ward came in mid-2000, after transmission of the final series, and ironically came as the sole original cast member Rita May – who played Auxilary Nurse Mags – said she had no plans to leave the show.
The show hasn't been repeated since the final series finished broadcasting in 2000.
Granada Television
Granada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
and broadcast on the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
network as part of its Children's ITV
CITV
CITV is a British television channel from ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. It broadcasts content from the CITV archive, as well as commissions and acquisitions. CITV itself is the programming block on the main ITV Network .The CITV channel broadcasts from 06:00 to 18:00...
strand on weekday afternoons. The programme was set – as the title suggests – in Ward B1, the children's ward of the ficticious South Park Hospital (known as Sparky's), and told the stories of the young patients and the staff present there. Aimed at older children and teenagers, Children's Ward was a long-lived series for a children's drama, starting life in 1988as a contribution to the Dramarama
Dramarama (TV series)
Dramarama is the name of a British children's' anthology series broadcast on ITV between 1983 and 1989. It tended to feature drama of a science fiction or supernatural bent. The programme was administered by Tyne Tees Television in Newcastle, who had a track-record for organising cross-franchise...
anthology strand, "Blackbird Singing In The Dead of Night", then first broadcast as a series 1989 and running from then until 2000.
The series was conceived by Granada staff writers Paul Abbott
Paul Abbott
Paul Abbott is a BAFTA award-winning English television screenwriter and producer. Abbott has become one of the most critically and commercially successful television writers working in Britain today, following his work on many popular series, including Coronation Street, Cracker and Shameless,...
and Kay Mellor
Kay Mellor
Kay Mellor, OBE is an English actress, scriptwriter, and director best known for her work on several successful television drama series.-Early life:...
, both of whom have subsequently gone on to enjoy highly successful careers as award-winning writers of adult television drama. At the time, they were both working on the soap opera Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
, and had recently collaborated on a script for Dramarama.
Abbott, who had been through a troubled childhood himself, had initially wanted to set the series in a children's care home rather than a hospital, but this was vetoed by Granada executives. During the course of its run, however, Children's Ward won many plaudits for covering difficult issues such as cancer, alcoholism, drug addiction and child abuse in a sensitive manner. The programme won many awards, including in 1996 a BAFTA
British Academy of Film and Television Arts
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is a charity in the United Kingdom that hosts annual awards shows for excellence in film, television, television craft, video games and forms of animation.-Introduction:...
Children's Award for Best Drama, won by an episode in which a murderer lures children to him via the internet and is – highly unusually for children's television – not eventually caught.
As well as Abbott and Mellor, the series was worked on by many writers who have gone on to enjoy successful careers in adult television drama, perhaps most notably Russell T Davies, who was the show's producer, and writer of several episodes, from 1992 to 1995.
The decision to end Children's Ward came in mid-2000, after transmission of the final series, and ironically came as the sole original cast member Rita May – who played Auxilary Nurse Mags – said she had no plans to leave the show.
The show hasn't been repeated since the final series finished broadcasting in 2000.
Filming location
- Filmed at Bolton General Hospital (now the Royal Bolton Hospital), in BoltonBoltonBolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
, Greater ManchesterGreater ManchesterGreater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
. - Actors to go on to other theatre and television work include;Chris BissonChris BissonChristopher Paul "Chris" Bisson is a British actor.-Career:Born in Wythenshawe, Manchester, Chris Bisson first appeared on television as J.J. in Children's Ward in 1990...
, Tina O'BrienTina O'BrienTina O'Brien is an English actress. She is best known for playing the role of Sarah-Louise Platt in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street.-Acting career:...
, Vicky BinnsVicky BinnsVictoria Jane "Vicky" Binns is an English actress who is best known for her two roles in the two veteran ITV soap operas Emmerdale and Coronation Street respectively. She had a lead role in 'Von trapped' opposite Caroline Quentine and also appeared in Children's Ward playing a character named...
, Ralf LittleRalf LittleRalf Alistair J. B. Little is an English actor, writer and semi-professional footballer, working mainly in television comedy. He is best known for playing Antony Royle in The Royle Family and Jonny Keogh in the first six series of Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps.-Early life and work...
, Paul Swaine, Tim VincentTim VincentTim Vincent is a Welsh actor and television presenter who was a presenter on the popular children's programme Blue Peter between 1993 and 1997...
, Kieran O'BrienKieran O'BrienKieran O'Brien is an English actor.-Biography:O'Brien, who grew up in nearby Royton, began acting at a early age and was the star of a BBC TV series Gruey by the time he was 15. He also featured in several other series at the time in one-off or recurring roles...
, Ben SowdenBen SowdenBen Sowden, born 23rd January 1983 in Leeds, England, is a British actor who appeared as Thomas in Children's Ward and John Reed in Jane Eyre .-References:...
, Terence Hart, William AshWilliam AshWilliam Ash MBE, was a Royal Canadian Air Force pilot, writer, and Marxist.Born into a lower middle-class family in Dallas, Texas, Ash was a migrant worker during the U.S Great Depression and took a University course, doing privileged pupils' essays in order to gain money and also for his personal...
and Jane DansonJane DansonJane Danson is an English actress, most famous for playing the role of Leanne Battersby in Coronation Street.-Acting:...
.
Novelisations
- Children's Ward by Helen White, published by Network Books (an imprint of BBC Books) in 1990. £2.50 ISBN: 0-563-36170-0 (OUT OF PRINT)
- Children's Ward - Deadly Enemies by Helen White, published by Network Books (an imprint of BBC Books) in 1991. £2.99 ISBN: 0-563-36263-4 (OUT OF PRINT)
- Children's Ward - Make or Break by Helen White, published by Network Books (an imprint of BBC Books) in 1991. £2.99 ISBN: 0-563-36264-2 (OUT OF PRINT)
- Children's Ward - Lost and Found by Helen White, published by Network Books (an imprint of BBC Books) in 1992. £3.50 ISBN: 0-563-36391-6 (OUT OF PRINT)
- Children's Ward - On the Run by Helen White, published by Network Books (an imprint of BBC Books) in 1993. £3.99 ISBN: 0-563-36726-1 (OUT OF PRINT)
- Children's Ward - The Crash by Helen White, published by Puffin Books in 1994. £3.50 ISBN: 0-14-037350-0 (OUT OF PRINT)
Script book
- Exact title unknown, possibly Children's Ward. Edited by Lawrence Till (contains selected scripts from the series by Paul Abbott, Kay Mellor and John ChambersJohn ChambersJohn Chambers may refer to:* John Chambers , British landscape, seascape and portrait painter* John Chambers , last Abbot of Peterborough Abbey and, after the Dissolution, the first Bishop of Peterborough* John B...
), published by Heinemann Plays/Oxford in 1992. Price and ISBN unavailable at time of writing. (OUT OF PRINT)