DANNY Dyer, Jane Danson and Samia Ghadie look almost unrecognisable in this Children’s Ward throwback photo.
It’s been nearly 20 years since the photo was taken and since then many of the cast have gone to be successful actors on shows such as Corrie and Emmerdale.
The snap was shared on Instagram by one of the show’s writers, Russell T Davies, and several of the former cast members were quick to comment on the photo.
Although not pictured in the photo, former Blue Peter presenter Tim Vincent was one of the main actors on the show – starring as alcoholic teenager Billy Ryan.
Described as a “kids’ Holby City” Children’s Ward was set on the ward of a made-up children’s hospital in Manchester, where it was also filmed.
Corrie’s Jane Danson had a recurring role as Paula, who contracted a disease in her leg that saw her confined to a wheelchair.
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Rex Features
The teenager managed to recover from her illness but unfortunately then had a climbing accident – unlucky, Paula!
Coronation Street did pretty well out of the Children’s Ward, scooping up several ex-members of the long-running drama including Tina O’Brien, Alan Halsall and of course, Samia Longchambon.
Diamond geezer Danny Dyer also had a one-off role in the soap as teenager Tony, who rocked up to the ward on a motorbike.
The 41-year-old has gone on to star in several blockbuster films and currently plays Mick Carter in BBC1’s EastEnders.
Children’s Ward was ahead of its time for some of the storylines it covered. One fan on Instagram who commented on the throwback photo recalled one such plot.
They wrote: “I remember a storyline about a teenager who had been diagnosed with HIV. There was one of the doctors who just had a baby and she allowed him to hold the baby.
“Then this loud mouth came in and shouted at her for allowing him to hold the baby. She told him that the virus cannot be spread through touching. My mum worked for someone who had HIV and died of AIDS around this time.
“Children’s Ward and Eastenders were TV shows that were breaking new ground with HIV and AIDS at this time.”
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