Call the midwife starts this Sunday!!! Who's excited?

[Soubriquet]

I certainly am

I don't think it's a good as it was when it first started, and it can be a tad predictable at times but I still love this show

The same happened with Miranda too (can’t remember her name in it).... She was referenced as being at home, but never appeared. Then her husband disappeared too!

Chummy went to run the Home for Pregnant Teens didn’t she? On a “temporary” basis. She just never returned.

On the subject of the car accident, there were no airbags in the car either. Or crumple zones. Medical care has moved on since then too.

I've just finished reading 'The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox' by Maggie O'Farrell... the asylum storyline is almost a carbon copy, so if you're interested in finding out more about teenagers put away for life in mental institutions for no good reason it's a very good, but sobering read.

I think Val has some dark secrets yet to come out... there have been hints... I'm thinking teenage pregnancy. I'm also wondering how she knew so much about the asylum!

I started my periods in '97. My mother is quite a struggling prude with suppressed liberal leanings. (It's an interesting combination.)

I recall her buying me tampons in an act of defiance against the belief virgins couldn't use tampons. Which she said was silly belief.

So the belief was still there in 97. I'd say it was probably not the majority though. Not if my mum was making a stand against it!!

I recall when the tampax lady came into school around 94/95 there was a whole section of discussion as to how using tampons wouldn't stop you being a virgin, not that long ago

I remember the Tampax lady! She gave us all boxes of pink junior Tampax and special pink plastic box things to carry a few around in without anyone knowing what they were!

She also told us to wash our hair leaning forward to avoid angering our lady bits with shampoo.

Although I'm not sure whether people would still articulate it in terms of losing virginity, there are still people who think teenagers just shouldn't use tampons.

the asylum storyline is almost a carbon copy

Ha! I thought that storyline was a bit closer to the original CTM stories and unlike the usual twaddle that the writer normally comes up with. That explains it...

I think she got the storyline about renovating the burnt out shop from DIY SOS.

There was a fantastic drama in the late 80s or early 90s starring Peggy Ashcroft as an elderly woman who had spent most of her life in an asylum after being admitted as a young woman for some sort of moral issue, and how she adjusted once she was discharged to live with family. The closures of most in-patient facilities must have led to quite a few highly institutionalised but fundamentally well people returning to the community.

Well I really enjoyed last nights to much going on though but particulary enjoyed SMJ and the racey book would Dr T really need to attend the irish womans birth he just stuck his head through the door no reason just to be in shot. Poor Barbara she has to pull through.

Thanks to this thread am now even more irritated whenever Dr or Shelagh are on screen butting in where they don't need to be and like everyone else can't help spotting teal all over the place.
I've managed to get DH watching this series. He loved how quickly the misery started last night with the dead Irishman. I'm more than happy to riot if Barbara dies.

No, he didn't! That was an excellent example of totally gratuitous Dr Smug.

And I also noticed Shelagh's watch halfway up her arm. In a not remotely clinical situation. Why?

I'm at twin birth drT arrival time. So far enjoying Sr MJ and her hospital room mate. I liked the hint of religious troubles driving the Irish family to London but the whole cascade of life shit to push them to accept help is ludicrous.

The youth classes are interesting and I dare say there would have been reactions like the mum. But seems rather unbelievable that V can discover there is a horrible reason for her not wanting her daughter educated and magically get the story out of her, know the asylum well and find the sister just like that.

I suppose it is interesting that they have revisited this. Earlier ones still had the girls being sent off and now we see that women are still languishing in these places. Which of course they were, being sent somewhere like that as a young girl or woman you'd never get out.

They cannot kill off Barbara! I'm still mourning sister Evangelina and I miss Chummy. And Patsy and Delia. Sister Mary C went to the mother house in the end I believe, but you would think they'd mention her and Chummy occasionally though. And Chummy's PC husband just disappeared without so much as a goodbye.

The teal is ruining all, it's all I can focus on!

I think someone posted this back up the thread but it is funny to read again after all the comments on here re Trixie.

www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2018-02-25/heres-how-helen-george-disguised-her-baby-bump-in-call-the-midwife/

I’d be happy for them to kill off Shelagh and Barbara, if they brought back Chummy & Patsy

Wish it were Mrs Dr Smugface with meningitis.

Barbara is far too cheerful about everything though isn't she. Was rather hmm at her lack of urgency around the fire though. Excuse me there is a bit of a fire and my friend appears to be stuck. Oh no here she is but might have a spot of smoke inhalation would you mind terribly having a little look at her.

Irish mum looks to have got over the death of her husband pretty well. Amazing that. Have a fire, discover that your neighbours are wonderful and your new best friends and away goes the grief! Magic.

I thought the Irish family storyline was going to be a terrorist revenge plot, I was disappointed/surprised it was a cigarette fire.

The moral insanity thing was so sad. When I was at uni (back when dinosaurs still roamed the earth) a friend of mine did her psychology placement in a an asylum that was being closed down. There was a lady there who was in her late 70s, who had spent her entire life in an institution because she was a domestic servant who got pregnant by the bosses's son and her family wouldn't have her back, so she went into the local asylum (paid for at the time by the boss) and she never left, until 'Care in the Community' became a thing & she was put in a sheltered housing unit, completely unable to cope with no family to help her. Really sad.

I didn’t notice the yellow car this time. The teal is so distracting from the plot. This series is so poorly written imo. It’s the sort of thing French and Saunders would have done a sketch on.

Yes I'm rapidly going off 'call the teal turners midwife'

It's just too far fetched. I think Jenifer worth would be turning in her grave.

As a pp said they just shoe horn everything into one episode.

I think it's insulting to people that really did live and work in poplar in 1963. Everything wraps up nicely with a moral learnt by everyone. No loose ends.

My great aunt was put away for a while after she had an illegitimate baby who was adopted to canada it wasn't really spoken about but my nana said she went to hospital for her nerves it is sad to think about.

I had a bit of a shock when I discovered one of my grandmothers aunts was illegitimate.
She was adopted by my great-great grandparents, who were related to her mother.
Was only a shock because of how against sex before marriage my gran was, yet this was her favourite aunt.
I do wonder how it happened and how it was explained- it doesn't appear that the mother was sent away at all.