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 (TV series) syndication. Like most sitcoms of the era, "Soap" was videotaped rather than filmed, but this coincidentally helped further its emulation of the daytime soap opera format, as most such productions were also videotaped. All episodes are currently available on region 1 DVD in four separate box sets. There is a box set of season 1 on region 2 DVD. The series has rerun in syndication on local channels as well as on cable. The show starred Katherine Helmond and Cathryn Damon as sisters/matriarchs of their own families. The cast also included three former soap opera actors. Robert Mandan (Chester Tate)