M*A*S*H turns 50 THE BEST MEDICINE ON TV

We salute one of the most iconic show's in history

When M*A*S*H hit TV W screens. back in 1972, it wasn't an immediate ratings sensation. But by the end of the first season, the show's magical blend of humour and tragedy - and its enormous cast of lovable characters had wormed its way into people's hearts, where it has stayed ever since.

Next month will mark 50 years since the beloved comedy-drama about a mobile army surgical hospital in the Korean War premiered on the small screen. And even today, the impact of the show is felt by fans the world over.

"Half the fan mail I get says things like, 'I became a nurse because of you," shares Loretta Swit, who played no-nonsense chief nurse Hot Lips Houlihan for the show's entire 11-season run. "So I'm really thrilled."

Adds actor Alan Alda, who played surgeon Hawkeye Pierce, "The show was so remarkable that we all get asked about it all the time. Everybody includes it in every interview. But I don’t mind that at all.”

M*A*S*H entertained, enlightened and broke hearts with its blend of comedy and pathos, never shying away from the horrors of war, but at the same time delivering a plethora of witty one-liners.

It also gave us some of TV’s most memorable characters, including Corporal Klinger, who took to cross-dressing hoping he would be sent home to the US for being mentally unfit.

Recalls actor Jamie Farr, who played the adored character, “The episode that really affected me was the one where General MacArthur comes to camp. Everyone’s getting ready to prepare for his arrival and they’re trying to hide me.

“MacArthur drives by without paying any attention to anyone until he drives down the road and salutes me, dressed as the Statue of Liberty.