Jessica Raine leaving call the midwife!!

[DaffyDuck35]

For "Hollywood" ( like Dan Stevens from Downton-ha!) and apparently it's her last ep. tomorrow!! The series can't be ending since they get 10 mil viewers a week!! I wonder who they'll get to replace her?!

[Vickiyumyum]

Good I can't bear her in it. She ruins it's for me.

[onedev]

The last few without her were great, so hopefully they'll carry on regardless.

[Pooka]

Good!

[nennypops]

They've already got the replacement, haven't they? They'll just carry on with jolly hockey sticks new woman. Don't know what they'll do with Vanessa, though.

[Elsiequadrille]

Yes, I wonder who they'll get to replace her.

I find the actress slightly irritating, too, and somewhat unconvincing. Glad it's not just me.

[bryonywhisker]

Good. I had to stop watching because of her. Most unlikeable character.

[Elsiequadrille]

Ah, perhaps they won't bring in a new Jenny after all. Just as she narrates it (Vanessa, as nenny mentioned) I thought they might.

[storynanny]

Could it be because in real life she left midwifery to pursue a music career? I think it was in the early or mid sixties. Maybe the script writers have used all her material.

[Moln]

What? Really? A music career?

Are you messing?

[athorn12]

I watched CTM because of Jessica Raine now she has gone, no more, I have heard nothing but good wishes for Jess these comments here are the only bad ones I've seen. Please give Jess a chance she is only 31 and as for someone saying she is unconvincing Jessica Raine is one of the most genuine people I know. I'll always support her regardless. Sorry CTM but I'm going to focus more on following Jessica

[storynanny]

Not at all, I read all about her real life recently. She met her husband in the mid 60 s also. I thought it was coming to an end last week as in real life she moved to hospital nursing and didnt like it so left nursing for a new career.
My guess is a new writer will continue the stories of the other midwives so that there can be another series. I also read somewhere that the realife chummy has never been traced.

[Moln]

She was in Call of Duty athorn12, well was, briefly!

DH refused to believe it was her until I looked it up and proved it. He didn't realise it was her because she was such a different person in it.

[GwendolineMaryLacey]

It's sad that the focus will change. I loved the fact that she was a real person as I was a huge fan of the books first and foremost. But the other characters are so well established that I think it would be easy for them to carry on without her. And the others are popular, probably more so. If Chummy or Trixie leave then it would be a different kettle of fish.

[Moln]

Well there you go *storynanny8, I didn't know that. I'd heard about Chummy being untraceable alright.

I've only read the first book as my library doesn't appear to have the others - I must check properly about this.

[athorn12]

Yes Jess was in Line Of Duty great she was. Just a shame that her character died

Can I please add that the real Chummy moved abroad

[LRDtheFeministDragon]

I'll be interested to see how they do it.

I think Raine isn't as terrible an actor as some make out, but somehow it didn't work so well in terms of sympathy for her. I guess because in the books, every time you're shocked by her reactions, you have the older Jenny's narration making you see why. Separating that into two voices gave her less of a character, I think.

Btw, athorn, chummy isn't real - the thinking is the character in the book is a composite of people Worth knew, but the midwives said very firmly that there was no one person like her (or exactly like Sister Monica Joan).

[Davros]

I read that they have used up all of the stories from the books because they didn't know it would be so popular BUT they got so many letters from other midwives etc from those days that it gave them another source of material. Not sure how that would work with the VoiceOver though.

[LRDtheFeministDragon]

They're already using stories not in the book, though. And I do think it shows. This series has been much patchier. I think some of the acting is amazing, but they veer into the mawkish quite easily, whereas Worth's stories were actually very well-balanced, I think.

[Elsiequadrille]

I personally found the actress unconvincing, and irritating, (to whoever mentioned) I know nothing about Jessica Raine as a person, or actress, more generally.

I thought they must be using stories not from the books. Also couldn't recall Chummy ever returning from her time abroad, as she has done in the programme.

Agree about mawkishness. I think that's why I stopped watching for a while.

[hackmum]

If it means they're getting rid of Vanessa Redgrave too, I'll be glad, because that is the most irritating part of CTM, in my view.

This series has already moved a long way from the original books, so I don't think it matters much that Jenny is leaving. I don't hugely rate Jessica Raine's chances in Hollywood, but I could be wrong! (I have a memory of a Guardian columnist, can't remember which one, but many years ago, berating Catherine Zeta-Jones for leaving England with the hope of making it Hollywood, and saying she didn't stand a cat's chance in hell.)

[thegreylady]

I read that the 'real' Chummy and her husband died during their time as missionaries in Sierra Leone and one of the others, maybe Shelagh, committed suicide. It has all been very sanitised for the tv but it is very watchable too.

[LRDtheFeministDragon]

Oh, that's sad.

I thought she said in the last book that Sister Bernardette left the order over women priests, but I'm not certain (I'd have to dig out my copy). I remember Sister Julien died of cancer.

I wish Jennifer Worth had said more about what was real and what was made up, but then I suppose she'd have had her reasons for it all.

[Vickiyumyum]

ITs not the actor, as a person that I object to, maybe its the way her character has to be portrayed, but she doesn't come across as stiff upper lip, well brought up woman of that era, she comes across as a stiff wooden actress.

Doesn't mean that she wouldn't be good in a different programme. I am envious of her teeny tiny waist though

[GwendolineMaryLacey]

OK just looking at my book;

Chummy went to Sierra Leone and stayed in Africa the rest of their lives. They corresponded for a while but it tailed off and they lost contact.

Trixie married a diplomat and travelled with him, leaving nursing. She met up again with Jennifer when they were grandmothers and Trixie took her back to see the daughters of Megan'mave on their market stall.

Cynthia was called to the religious life. However, she suffered from depression throughout her life and went backwards and forwards between the convent and hospital nursing eventually ending up in psychiatric hospitals herself. At 39 she met and married a clergyman and after retirement they went backpacking round the world then eventually to live in South America.

Sr Julienne died of a brain tumour. Sr Bernadette did defect to the Catholics in her seventies due to the ordination of women in the Anglican church.

[GwendolineMaryLacey]

• Chummy and her husband