Soap opera funeral in 1997 (32.1 million viewers) which were transmitted on both BBC One and ITV. An early television serial was "The Grove Family" on the BBC, which produced 148 episodes from 1954 to 1957. The programme was broadcast live and only a handful of recordings were retained in the archives. The UK's first twice-weekly serial was ITV's "Emergency - Ward 10", running from 1957 until 1967. In the 1960s "Coronation Street" revolutionised UK television and quickly became a British institution. On 17 September 2010, it became the world's longest-running television soap opera and was listed in "Guinness World Records". The
Soap opera were originally broadcast live from the studio, creating what many at the time regarded as a feeling similar to that of a stage play. As nearly all soap operas were originated at that time in New York City, a number of soap actors were also accomplished stage actors who performed live theatre during breaks from their soap roles. In the 1960s and 1970s, new serials such as "General Hospital", "Days of our Lives" and "The Young and the Restless" were produced in Los Angeles. Their success made the West Coast a viable alternative to New York-produced soap operas, which were