The General (TV series)
| The General | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Reality television |
| Directed by | Dave Heather |
| Presented by | Yvette Fielding Chris Serle Heather Mills |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 61 |
| Production | |
| Production location | Southampton General Hospital |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC One |
| Release | 6 April 1998 |
The General was a BBC fly-on-the-wall Television series hosted by Yvette Fielding, Chris Serle and Heather Mills.[1] Based at Southampton General Hospital,[1] the programme tracked the progress of selected patients, including outpatients, at the hospital. The series was broadcast live[1] every weekday on BBC One, in a daytime slot. 61 episodes of the programme were aired in total; 58 of them in 1998[2] (from April to June), and the other three in 2002. The original director of the series was Dave Heather.[3]
As well as the presenting team tracking patients and staff in the hospital, the programme also featured Heather Mills abseiling down the side of the hospital and demonstrating various uses for her prosthesis.[4] However, it was alleged some years after the series finished that Mills was appointed to the presenting role under false pretences, having claimed that newspaper articles written by a journalist namesake were written by herself.[5]
The show also featured occasional celebrity guest appearances, including a visit from endurance expert Mike Stroud.[6]
The programme was subsequently renamed City Hospital, continuing with exactly the same format, initially with the same presenters but subsequently presented by Nick Knowles and Gaby Roslin.[7] City Hospital later moved from Southampton General Hospital to Guy's and St Thomas' hospitals in London,[2] with the presentation team changing; subsequent presenters included Jeremy Milnes[8] and Nadia Sawalha.[9]
Both The General and City Hospital were produced by Topical Television.[10]
References
- ^ a b c "Text of full judgment: Heather Mills v Sir Paul McCartney". The Times. 18 March 2008. Retrieved 27 July 2008. / "Mills-McCartney divorce judgment in full". Associated Newspapers Limited. 18 March 2008. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
- ^ a b "City Hospital: History of the programme". Guys and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. Archived from the original on 25 September 2007. Retrieved 27 July 2008.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Burton, Humphrey (21 April 2005). "Obituary: Dave Heather, Director of Glyndebourne telecasts". The Independent. Archived from the original on 29 June 2012.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Heather Mills:TV Presenting History". Retrieved 15 January 2009. [dead link]
- ^ "Why Heather Mills pretended to be me". Daily Mail. 22 October 2006. Retrieved 15 January 2009.
- ^ "Dr Mike Stroud". Archived from the original on 6 October 2011. Retrieved 15 January 2009.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Woodward, Ian (28 April 2001). "The accident prone Mr Fix-it; On TV he's calm and collected, but Nick Knowles is still in inner turmoil over the loss of his father". The Mirror. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
- ^ "BBC City Hospital presenter opens Guy's cancer facility". London SE1. Archived from the original on 29 June 2012.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "City Hospital". BBC. Archived from the original on 29 June 2012.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Topical Television:Our shows". Topical Television. Archived from the original on 29 June 2012.
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