General Hospital (UK TV series) productions to fill in 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
The Practice (1985 TV series) The Practice (1985 TV series) The Practice was a 1985 British television soap opera produced for ITV by Granada Television, which aired for two series in 1985 and 1986. The series was first introduced as a twice-weekly medical drama in January 1985, becoming Granada's second regular networked soap opera along with "Coronation Street", with the idea being that its hard-hitting storylines would be a competitor with the BBC's "EastEnders" which started airing the following month. The Practice was set in a GP's surgery in the fictional Manchester suburb of Castlehulme and had an initial run of 34 episodes airing for