Home and Away is an Australian television soap opera. It was created by Alan Bateman and has been produced in Sydney, New South Wales since July 1987. It commenced broadcast on the Seven Network from 17 January 1988. It is the second-longest-running Australian drama and has endured worldwide success, becoming one of the most popular Australian soap operas to screen internationally and the most popular in its home country. The pilot episode was screened as a ninety-minute television film, with each subsequent episode airing at twenty-two minutes per episode. The series is currently broadcast Mondays through to Thursdays at 7:00 pm.