Call The Midwife

[Daffodilly]

I'm sure after the Christmas special they said a new series would be starting in the New Year. So where is it?? [impatient]

On the point of acting styles, what strikes me is that the younger characters come across very "stagey" where the older ones (Pam Ferris, Jenny Agutter, Sr MJ, Fred, Dr Turner) are much more naturalistic - telly ish- iyswim.

Talking of acting.....it is one of those things which can appear "easy to do".

I had no idea how hard it was until I joined an Am Dram group last year. I have great fun but my goodness it isn't the simple task it appears. As for learning lines (and I only have a few), a nightmare.

Then again I have never done anything like it before so had nothing to compare it with. Hats off to those who can do it...and make it look natural. FWIW I think the cast of CTM are great.

Maybe it's a conscious decision to have the nuns behave differently to the nurses. Pam Ferris is a bit of a ledge though, she plays it so well.

Don't you think the midwives are pretty, prissy and dainty (with the exception on Chummy who is a midwife out of sheer conviction that she has to help people) to exaggerate the difference between them and the women they care for who are mostly working class, downtrodden, battling poverty and are worn out from having such large families in pre-pill days.

It's also very noticeable that the women having their first babies often have full makeup, stockings, hair done and beautifully dressed, as the 2 x women in this week's episode (don't know what they're letting themselves in for!), while women on baby 4, 5 or 6 appear in their rollers and pinnys.

Actually in the 1950/1960's we were very "naice" girls all of us from very middle class homes and definitely very wet behind the ears!!. Working in the Children's Hospital in the East End we soon lost our hoity-toity ways.

The midwives are a good representation of that era and every set of nurses had a Chummy

As for the Mums it is true to life and they were wonderful and life was so hard for them.

I can already feel myself getting all worked up!

omg that was an awful word to hear on tv

Very close to home. Dsis attends a day centre and it's just like watching her with her friends. Hard to watch especially as we are in the process of her being referred to residential care.

On a happier note, I love the new midwife.

Made of penises

Lol @ Stonehenge out of penises!

Oh my god that was awful.

That poor young couple. Got pregnant, lost the baby and then they got separated, probably for ever. I just howled at the tele.

I had to go let the dog out. Did the baby die?

Yes, the baby died. It was very small.

That was the most heartbreaking programme yet beautifully acted by all. Sarah Gordy and Colin Young were outstanding.

Yes. It was too small, I think it was stillborn.

That bit when she saw him in the back of the taxi and he was looking back at her. They'd had such a traumatic time together and probably never saw each other again.

I thought Sally's baby would live and be adopted by Sheila and the Dr so Sally could have contact visits, didn't see that one coming.

On another note, would Jenny's compassionate leave really have been the norm back then, I would have thought she would have been expected to get on with it after the funeral, especially given that her and Alec were only courting and not married or even engaged.

Wow, just wow.

What a heart rending and moving episode. It was hard to watch in parts, but brilliantly done. I remember how un PC society was back in the 1960s and used to go to various fundraising activities at a couple of homes for young people with CP.

Parents must have had so little support for children who weren't born "normal" so they would have had them shut away to be looked after. Thank goodness we are more open and enlightened these days.

I also remember the original names of the conditions these people had, and at the time I don't think they were derogatory, but merely a descriptive term. Although I was very young at the time so maybe I didn't realise.

I really, really wanted him to go work at the convent with Minty from Eastenders so that the two of them could stay together.

Presumably midwives back then were naice gels because they could afford the education.

I think the Jenny thing is part of showing that actually the nuns were ahead of their time on certain things. As was constable Noakes

This episode was one of the most emotional this series for me. V well acted on both of the main story lines.

Very well acted and moving episode. How very sad for that poor young lady to have lost her baby and her true love all at the same time.
Heart wrenching

So Trixie is going to end up with the vicar?

Yes, I got the feeling that the "home" was more homely than such places would have been :( Plus I thought it was unrealistic (sadly) when Jacob walked through London and everyone was kind and helpful to him - I remember in season 1 when Jenny first met him she was frightened of him and didn't know how to react and I'd imagine most people would have been the same if not openly abusive/disgusted.

And although things are changing I don't think we have moved on that much, sadly - only the other day a friend was telling me about her uncle who has Down's, lives in a residential care home and they are funny about the fact that he has a girlfriend.

I know it must be difficult and of course there is huge potential for abuse between a neurotypical person and a person with special needs, so obviously staff at care homes etc have to be careful, but I think it's sad.

Yes, definitely compared to the last episode there. The only one who wasn't was the girl from Girls Brigade who said she felt sorry for them near the beginning.

Timothy had polio in the Christmas episode didn't he? The one with the bomb, and Shelagh and Dr Turner's wedding.

As an aside, I love the hairdos. Sally's at the party and then Shelagh's in the garden especially. I wish I could put mine up like that.

And the new vicar is extremely good looking!