Film is Fabulous! and De Montfort University’s Cinema and Television History Research Group are pleased to announce the recovery of an episode of vintage television, missing from the official archives:

Emergency Ward 10: The Long Small Hours (Broadcast: 29th September 1966)

Considered British television’s first major soap opera, Emergency Ward 10 was a ground-breaking hospital drama that was shown twice weekly on ITV between 1957 and 1967. Set in the fictitious Oxbridge General Hospital, it was a firm favourite with the public, attracting a huge following during its 10-year run. Indeed, it became the template for medical dramas.

The format of the show was changed for the final season. Episodes lasted 60-minutes, and were screened on Saturday evenings. The first episode to be aired like this was ‘The Long Small Hours’. It starred John Carlisle, Ian Cullen, David Collings, Ann Lynn, and David Kelly. The story encompassed the medical emergencies, and the private lives of the patients and staff. 

The recovered episode will be screened at the upcoming vintage television festival, together with a host of other missing and rare items.