| Genre: | Docu-soap[1] |
| Theme Music Composer: | Debbie Wiseman |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Language: | English |
| Num Series: | 12 |
| Num Episodes: | 114 |
| Executive Producer: | Jeremy Mills[2] |
| Producer: | Richard Bradley[3] Tracy Cook |
| Runtime: | 30 minutes |
| Channel: | BBC One |
Children's Hospital is a British television fly-on-the-wall documentary series based at the Sheffield Children's Hospital, Birmingham Children's Hospital, and Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool.[4] It was broadcast on BBC One between 19 October 1993 and 26 February 2003.
According to scholar Annette Hill, the series had "all the hallmarks of a docu-soap", saying its "personal, melodramatic stories appeal to viewers, with more than 8 million tuning into the first series, despite widespread criticism from the press."[5] Peter Lee-Wright observes that the series marked a transition in fly-on-the-wall documentaries by shifting the emphasis from the practical considerations onto the "human dramas being played out ... [capturing] the pain of the children ... and their parents' rollercoaster rides."[6]
The theme music was composed by Debbie Wiseman. The music was released as a CD single in 1997, containing full orchestral and piano versions of the theme, alongside the shorter versions used for the opening and closing sequences.[7] The orchestral version was also released on the compilation album World of Sound.[8] A new solo piano performance, titled "Ray of Sunshine", of the theme was included on the 2011 album Wiseman: Piano Stories.[9]
| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 October 1993 | 21 December 1993 | 10 | |
| 2 | 20 October 1994 | 22 December 1994 | 10 | |
| 3 | 7 January 1997 | 3 June 1997 | 20 | |
| 4 | 3 September 1997 | 10 October 1997 | 6 | |
| 5 | 21 April 1998 | 17 June 1998 | 12 | |
| 6 | 7 September 1998 | 9 November 1998 | 10 | |
| 7 | 27 April 1999 | 8 July 1999 | 10 | |
| 8 | 18 January 2000 | 29 February 2000 | 6 | |
| 9 | 27 June 2000 | 1 August 2000 | 6 | |
| 10 | 13 June 2001 | 15 August 2001 | 8 | |
| 11 | 26 June 2002 | 7 August 2002 | 6 | |
| 12 | 22 January 2003 | 26 February 2003 | 6 |
| Entitle | Air Date | |
|---|---|---|
| Christmas Special | 22 December 1997 | |
| Philadelphia | 8 December 1999 | |
| Russia with Jeremy Spake | 10 December 1999 | |
| Christmas Special | 20 December 1999 |