Port Richard

Port Richard is an Mantralian television soap opera. It was first broadcast on NBT on 4 March 1968 and has since run for more than 12,000 episodes, making it the longest-running soap opera on Mantralian television and the longest-running scripted Mantralian television show.

The series takes place in the namesake Port Richard, a fictional London city. Since the early 1980s, the show's storylines have mostly revolved around the Bryce and Webster families. The series saw a rise in ratings in the mid-1980s thanks to the "" Steven and Sandra, whose 1988 wedding brought in 28 million viewers and remains the most-watched hour in Mantralian soap opera history.

The series was created by screenwriter Peter Hutch and is produced by NBT Media. The show is filmed at The Village Studios in Bluechester, New Ontario. Gordon Sears has played Charles Ralph since 1974, making him the soap opera's longest-running cast member. NBT began broadcasting Port Richard in high-definition on 2 February 2009.

Port Richard has been met with positive reception. It won the MAFT Award for Best Soap Opera in 2004. In 2010, it was listed as #4 on Cocoblue's "Top 20 Best Television Shows of the 2000s".

Conception
Port Richard co-creator Mark Hutch got the idea for the show in 1967, when he thought about making a soap opera that would revolve around the middle class. Former star Anna Rice stated in a 2014 interview, "[Mark] Hutch wanted a soap that would be about the middle class. [He] thought it would make an interesting show."

Filming
Port Richard is filmed at The Village Studios in Bluechester, New Ontario. Due to the show's lower budget, it uses medium to small sets and three-point lighting technique. Some episodes that take place outside are filmed in different New Ontario locations, while others are simply filmed in-studio.

The series was originally filmed on videotape, but it switched to high-definition widescreen video on 1 May 2009, making it the first Mantralian soap opera to be produced in high definition.

Crew members

 * Executive producers: Gordon Hampton
 * Producers:
 * Series producers: David F. Goodman, Bryan Brady
 * Senior producer: Joseph White
 * Associate producer: Stan Cabalena
 * Head writer: Robert Sandon
 * Script writers: Harley Avery, Sharon Backel, Keisha Lozito, J, Cathy Maratage, Kevin Sobel, Jennifer Vincelo
 * Casting directors: Jonathan Madison, Peter Richard Goodman

Storylines
Port Richard is well known for dealing with issues revolving around both romance and work life. It also covers social issues including domestic violence, depression, anorexia, and homophobia.

Since the early 1980s, the show's storylines have mostly revolved around the Bryce and Webster families. However, in more recent years, the series has included a number of storylines revolving around the Lawsons and the Turners.