Westway was a
radio
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmi ...
soap opera
A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...
broadcast twice a week on the
BBC World Service from November 1997 to October 2005. It focused on life in and around the fictional Westway Health Centre in
West London
West London is the western part of London, England, north of the River Thames, west of the City of London, and extending to the Greater London boundary.
The term is used to differentiate the area from the other parts of London: North Londo ...
.
[The way we live now: Westway](_blank)
The Guardian, 23 July 2000[Eight years of Westway end](_blank)
BBC News, 28 October 2005 It was named after the
Westway, the main road route into London from the west.
The principal actors were Jillie Meers as Dr Margaret Sampson, head of the health centre, Nigel Carrington as Dr David Boyce, and
Abi Eniola
Abi Eniola is an English former television actress. She had been acting since 1993. She is renowned for her roles in ''Grange Hill'' (2000), ''Little Britain'' (2003–2004), and ''The Bill
''The Bill'' is a British police procedural tel ...
as Dr Joy Onwukwe. It was created and edited by David Hitchinson.
History
At its peak, it was cited that its worldwide listening figures was in the region of 1.7 million with some estimates even higher.
Its axing was announced in April 2005 as part of a shake-up of World Service programming.
[From the Westway to the world...no more](_blank)
The Independent, 4 April 2005
BBC7 repeated the series between May 2004 and March 2008.
[Westway, BBC World Service's globally popular radio serial, to broadcast on BBC 7](_blank)
BBC Press Office, 20 April 2004
See also
*
List of soap operas
References
External links
Official BBC Westway site
{{BBC World Service
1997 radio programme debuts
2005 radio programme endings
BBC World Service programmes
British radio soap operas