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]

Look here, it may explain the willingness to send Jenny on 'compassionate leave'. It says that though originally a nursing order the community now operates retreat facilities. Maybe they were already moving in that direction with more women starting to give birth in hospitals and maternity homes.

I agree with Mrs De Vere, I think it was very sanitised. In those days people with learning disabilities were treated much more harshly, particularly in institutions.

Only me thought the episode was possibly the worst of the series? Over sanitised and glossy and PC? tbh having seen what it is out there in the LD sphere now i would eat my hat if places like the home depicted last night even existed. Left a sour taste somehow. Only plus point was the young lady playing sally. Simply wonderful. Funny episode with regard to sister evangeline as well. Didnt really work.

Also like new midwife...... Penises!

I was stunned by the acting abilities of the people playing Sally and Jacob. I think sociey was on a cusp in the 60s with realisation of the wrongness of all forms of discrimination beginning to filter through. The correction of the terminology showed that very clearly as did Sally's mother's impassioned speech.
I thought last night's was one of the best of the series.

I suppose that they don't want to be too controversial, it was a sort of gentle dig at the idea that people with LDs aren't "real" adults and their opinions/voices don't matter. But portrayed as though those sorts of attitudes are in the past which of course is far from the truth.

I think if it had portrayed the reality it would have been too grim and shocking, and opened too many questions about the state of care for disabled adults in the country today. Even with the old man in hospital/infirmary storyline in series 1 they didn't go into anywhere near the level of grim detail which was in the book which was that the elderly man was so neglected in the hospital (not allowed to go out because he had lost his legs, which would have been preventable if they were treated) that he literally wasted away.

Possibly it's trying to show that society is on a cusp... I think it's trying to show more that there have always been people who believed everyone deserves a chance/voice and that colour, disability, poverty etc don't impact on that person's status as a human being.

I remember my friends elder sister had Down's syndrome. I think she was born in the 70s to teenage parents. Everyone said the shock turned the fathers hair prematurely grey.

I'd say that's one of the best episodes so far, but he'll did it make me cry!!!

"The correction of the terminology showed that very clearly as did Sally's mother's impassioned speech"

I don't think they were that enlightened in the 1960s. My sister and I lived near a children's home and often played with the children from there in the local park. There was a baby at the home with down's syndrome but no-one called his condition by that name then (late 1960s).

I don't think they were very enlightened in the 70s or 80s, either. I certainly remember people using the doctor's terminology rather than the current terms.

I found the old Jenny voiceover very incongruous this week too. They need to knock that on the head.

It was good to see Shelagh and Chummy back at work, though, I hope that continues. And I liked Sr Evangeline revealing her real name - Enid really suits her!

I was surprised at the correction to Downs syndrome as the awful M word was used up til the 80's where I lived - and not in a rude way but a medically descriptive one.

Amazing episode, very sad to watch. Loved Jacob, thought he was fantastic - is he a disabled actor?

It was the same with CP.The charity Scope used to be called The Spastics Society until either the late 80s or early 90s.

I bet it was corrected just to avoid complaints from idiots who didn't realise it was a period programme - the word spastic was not used on the programme either, despite being the accepted term at the time. My grandad still uses it to refer to a relative who lives in America and completely believes he is correct in this. And while he might be a bigoted old fool at the best of times he's really NOT in this occasion, it's just his generational habit, he doesn't know any better.

MrsDeVere, I will look at that documentary. Sounds as though it requires steeling yourself, though.

I guess the episode was possibly overly politically correct at times (such as the doctor's use of the M word being corrected to DS) but better that than risk upsetting people.
I watched it this morning on iplayer (as missed it last night) and thought it was as good as ever - this series has had some great stories.

I loved this episode, especially because about 8 students from the place I volunteer were in it! If you want to see a modern place for young adults with all kinds of disabilities, learning and/or physical, where they are encouraged to see that they can play a part on the world stage and make decisions for themselves, even if they need help to enact the decision, then take a look at www.orpheus.org.uk. If only more places like this existed!

Sadly, there still exist people who think that those with DS or CP or other conditions should be kept apart from those of us who are "normal".....

One of my friends mentioned this organisation yesterday on FB. She was very proud of the actors.

Small world, Bunbaker :) - maybe I know your friend!

Yes, weren't all the actors fab, and absolutely no disrespect to anyone but thinking the directors and writers must have been pretty good too

She is in Surrey and I am from Surrey, but no longer living there.

I did a placement as a student social worker with Scope in 1987 & it was still called The Spastic Society then,although there were rumblings to change it

I used to be a sales rep and one of my customers was the Spastics Society. They changed their name to Scope during that time so I know it was sometime in the late 1980s/early 1990s.

from a medical point of view would Sally have been able to carry a baby fathered by jacob now and was it bad luck the baby died or is it not possible despite advances in science?

it was a very moving episode

I did a placement at that hospital Mrs DeVere . I then worked at a respite home not far from there.