Call the midwife- brand new series starts tonight!!

[Soubriquet]

At 8pm

Who's ready for it?!

Is chummy running a women's hostel? I thought it was a pregnancy centre?

I know she was relocated - the point was, she was back waving to the nurse from the back of the bus. That is just not remotely what you would do if you'd been relocated with a new life. Even now, the most dangerous time for a woman in a violent relationship is when she's in the process of leaving.

I dunno ... it just felt a bit rushed, as bertie says, and I wish they'd spread the story out a bit more.

Chummy is running the mother and baby home for teenaged unwed mothers who give them up for adoption

Not a women's hostel

Agree with Bertie I thought if she was going to top herself she would have killed the children as well there is no way she would have left them for their dad to collect from the local nick!! Also I thought she would have poss put the baby and poss the little boy up for adoption, when you watch programmes like Long Lost Families this happened a lot because single mums just could not manage on their own, esp without families support and no money. Although no sure how is worked if there was a dad on the scene...

It is totally unbelievable that she would have swanned off to a nice little council place in the country and been happy - sadly

That was my feeling too. Call the midwife is usually so good at being realistic about not everything being rosy. Even if it's only a brief mention. I'm thinking specifically of the teacher who aborted with a coat hanger who lost everything and the neglected children who were shipped off to Australia (they mentioned that even though everyone thought this was good, it really wasn't).
I thought she would end up back with him. Or away from him, but her children with him.

Just caught up and watched this morning.

Gutted about Sheila being pregnant, it really is a kick in the teeth for the positive adoption story line.

Love nurse crane. She is fabulous. The furious cocktail making was just sublime.

Barbara and Tom continue to make me want to vomit. Sorry.

Missing Trixie but I guessed she would want to stay.

I thought Cynthia well done, the actress was fantastic in the last series when she was attacked and she was giving a great portrayal this time, her facial expressions are just amazing.

Ursula is a bit of a strange addition. But probably more realistic than sister julienne' happy, free, tv watching all accepting cake eating nuns. We shall see how that develops.

Cynthia is my favourite character. I love her earnest little face and humility.

I'm ok with Shelagh getting pregnant. This does happen after an adoption, in fact it happened to a friend of mine.

I miss Sister Evangelina, Pam Ferris is a fab actress but I do love Nurse Crane.

I hope Sister Julienne takes over as head of NH, as she's so human and supportive to everyone.

I find it a bit odd that Sr Monica Joan is more lucid than she's ever been. Though she's supposed to have dementia.

This does happen after an adoption, in fact it happened to a friend of mine.

I know it happens. But to us infertile women, and I'm sure to adoptive mothers as well, it feels like a real kick in the teeth.
'See, if you just stop trying so hard then you have have a baby that is really yours.'
Also, it does little to help people understand that infertility is real. So many people come up with stories about a friend who was told that she couldn't have children and then she got pregnant. People end up thinking that this is how it works; that being infertile is just a poor state of mind rather than an actual physical thing.

I'm sorry that you feel like it's a kick in the teeth to you and perhaps to others. However, it can happen as you know, so I struggle to see why the storyline shouldn't go down that road.

It must be hard for anyone being reminded of their own particular situation in many storylines in books and on TV. I'm sure we could all recall where a drama has shown something that feels like a kick in the teeth, I most certainly can.

The only way to not upset anyone is to sanitise every drama to the point that it's not worth watching.

Yeah, i remember someone asking me if my miscarriages were caused by stress. "Yeah, thanks a lot, I caused them by not being chilled out enough."

That was to desolate

However, it can happen as you know, so I struggle to see why the storyline shouldn't go down that road.

Because it's such a cliche? That is what everyone says if you miscarry - was it because you were stressed? And loads of people I've read on here/known in RL say the same about adoption - the commonest response is 'oh, but don't you want your own'.

So it's lazy TV, IMO, just going with a stereotype when it's already over-exposed.

However, it can happen as you know, so I struggle to see why the storyline shouldn't go down that road

But it because it always bloody happens in drama, every single bloody time. It gives people a complete unrealistic idea of what infertility is actually like.

Just caught up. Predicted the pregnancy!!

Dr Turner is turning me off this programme now. He used to be good, but now I hate his expressions and the way he is touted as the voice of reason. I liked this programme for the strong women, but now it is turning into the Dr Turner show. I think it could do with a change of writer.

I've found his character like that for ages, Anne. It irritates constantly.

I stopped liking him just before he got together with Sheila, Notjust. It just feels like mansplaining now.

That was about my point too. I didn't mind him when he popped up in extremis, and I found the nun-longing entertaining, but him becoming the expert in everything, and he and Shelagh becoming Mr and Mrs Horribly-Smug (sorry, ShelaghTurner) make him pretty unwatchable for me.

He's like a Chalet School all-knowing doctor, telling the teachers how to run their school!

I think the problem is that his wife is the writer, so has increased his part beyond its natural level.

Mr & Mrs Horribly-Smug is the perfect description for them! I will call them that from now on.

I love CTMW and the characters and the storylines. You lot do have an off switch in case you hadn't noticed.

Yep. I've been really struggling with him for ages. I don't actually think his wife writes his character well, either - he gets terrible mansplainy dialogue or cliches delivered in that odd, stilted way of speaking where he puts the emphases in strange places. But she obviously can write men well, because Sgt Noakes is a really good character (IMO), and I really liked how they did his and Chummy's relationship.

Cross post.

stuffed, you don't have to switch your brain off, though? I enjoy CTM, but that doesn't mean none of us should feel free to chat about the bits where we thought it went a bit off the rails.

You lot do have an off switch in case you hadn't noticed.

I am unhappy with the way a good programme has become a vehicle for the writer's husband since they moved away from the original books. I may switch off if they continue to promote him at the expense of the rest of the cast, but I think I am still allowed to complain about the change.

LRD - yes, exactly.

You lot do have an off switch in case you hadn't noticed

I don't. Bloody modern tellies.

LRD, I find him absurdly stilted, and his missus too.

His character does feel as if it was felt the whole thing didn't have enough MAN in it. I'm not sure if being married to the writer has made much difference. I guess it's hard to know. I am though also irritated by him being the face of the spin-off book and behind the scenes show.

Yes, I didn't watch the spin-off show because I don't want to see any more of him.