History of the National Health Service Emergency Ward 10 was first broadcast in 1957 on ITV and ran until 1967 and followed the life and loves of the staff and patients of the fictionalised Oxbridge General. ITV later followed this up with General Hospital which borrowed much from Emergency Ward 10 in terms of its themes and focus. The idea of a medical hospital as a suitable and popular setting for a soap opera continued to take root in the 1980s. Casualty, set in an A&E department, was first broadcast in 1986 and has since become the longest running medical drama in the world. At a
Soap Opera Digest Awards Soap Opera Digest Awards The Soap Opera Digest Awards is an awards show held by the daytime television magazine "Soap Opera Digest". The awards were founded in 1984 to replace the less-lavish Soapy Award; those awards shows had run since 1977. The "Soap Opera Digest" Awards are meant to promote excellence in the soap opera genre and are decided by the fans who read the magazine. The statue itself is currently made of crystal, and is in the shape of a heart. The first "Soap Opera Digest" Award show aired in 1984, and was featured on national syndicated television and