The show's title derived from the name of the hospital where the series was originally set – St. Angela's,
Battersea – although in the early 1980s, the scenario changed to Heath Green Hospital,
Birmingham. The series was devised by
Paula Milne. Early producers included
Morris Barry and Ron Craddock. The first episode was directed by
Julia Smith, who became the show's producer in 1979. Her script editor on the later series was
Tony Holland. Filming took place at the now demolished
St James' Hospital, Balham,
London. Location filming for the fictional Heath Green Hospital took place at Walsgrave Hospital in
Coventry, which has been demolished and replaced on the same site by
University Hospital Coventry. The 1960s design of the hospital's original "Nursing Home" – a six-storey block of flats and bedsits – forms the Heath Green Hospital graphic in the
Angels opening title card. Smith enlisted Holland as script editor after the show became a twice-weekly soap; the pair went on to create
EastEnders in the 1980s. Writers on its first series included
Jill Hyem and
Anne Valery, who both later co-wrote
Tenko, and
Adele Rose.
Actors The series provided valuable early television exposure for a variety of young actresses who went on to become better known on British TV, including
Fiona Fullerton,
Érin Geraghty,
Lesley Dunlop,
Julie Dawn Cole,
Angela Bruce,
Clare Clifford and
Pauline Quirke. Additionally,
Kathryn Apanowicz,
Shirley Cheriton and
Judith Jacob all later appeared in
EastEnders, with Cheriton playing the particularly prominent role of
Debbie Wilkins.
Mamta Kaash played a key role in the hospital drama
Casualty.
Theme music The guitar-driven theme tune, reminiscent of American police dramas of the time, was called "Motivation". It was composed and performed by
Alan Parker. ==Critical reception==