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Emergency Ward 10

BEDPAN-WIELDING BEDROCK of early ITV schedules, running twice-weekly for nigh on a decade before The Right Reverend Lew Grade pulled the plug (“one of the biggest mistakes of my career” he moped). Action based at fictional Oxbridge General Hospital, initially concentrating on fortunes of Nurse Pat Roberts (ROSEMARY MILLER) before cast bloated with stars-to-be including DESMOND “ALL TIME GREATS” CARRINGTON, RICHARD “EMMERDALE” THORP, RAY “TROUBLESHOOTERS” BARRATT and JOHN “…AND PAULINE COLLINS” ALDERTON, while roll call of “celebrity” sickies threw up ALBERT FINNEY, IAN HENDRY, JOANNA LUMLEY and countless hundreds more. Strict rules regarding corpse count: five per year to begin with, later revised – downwards – to a crappy two. Dependable ratings-winner and source of, inevitable, spin-offs including Call Oxbridge 2000 and 24-Hour Call plus big screen cash cow Life In Emergency Ward 10. Revived in selfless gesture by Uncle Lew as GENERAL HOSPITAL.

4 Comments

4 Comments

  1. James O'Donnell

    November 2, 2010 at 5:05 pm

    Why do I not see the name of Kerry Marsh amongst the cast members of Emergency Ward 10 ? Kerry played the part of Irish Nurse “Nurse O’Keeffe” for about three years, and TV programme pages and newspaper cuttings from this period seem to confirm this. Kerry died in Ireland, on 15th May 2010 where she had retired to a number of years ago. She was 81 years old.

  2. James O'Donnell

    November 30, 2010 at 3:50 pm

    I know Kerry Marsh is credited with having appeared in Episode #1 209, 17/02/59. #1 210, 20/2/59. Episodes # 211, 212, 213, 214, 215, 216, Episode #1 217, 17/03/59 to episode #1 235, 19/05/59. Epi. #1 236, 22/05/59 and Episode #1 256 & also Epi. #1 260.(Dates not available) There was a five month actors strike from Jan 1962 to May 62. Emergency Ward 10 returned to our screens on May 8th 1962. Kerry did appear in some episodes which were broadcast / transmitted live and of which no recordings exist. I do recall seeing Kerry in Emergency Ward 10 in either 1963 or 1964 when I worked as a Barman / Waiter at The Opera Tavern in Catherine Street, right opposite Drury Lane Theatre and if you recall seeing “An Audence with Kenneth Williams” you will hear him mention the Irish restaurant he dined at with Siobain McKenna and the youth who answered. “no Tipperary” when asked by Siobain “If he was doubling” Well that youth was none other than yours truely and I had mistakenly thought Siobain had said “Dublin”. that was early 1964. James O’Donnell

  3. Richardpd

    October 30, 2022 at 3:48 pm

    A pre-Avon Paul Darrow played a Mr Verity.

    An episode of this was interrupted by a news flash of John F Kennedy’s shooting, & ran for a few more minutes before someone realised it wasn’t a good thing to be showing.

    Supposedly it was one of two shows Lew Grade later regretted axing.

  4. Richardpd

    December 10, 2023 at 10:29 pm

    One of the first interracial kisses on British TV occurred in one episode.

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