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Call The Midwife

964 replies

Homethroughthepuddles · 26/12/2018 11:51

Surprised there's no thread on this. Did anyone watch it last night or has the series reached its natural end and is no longer attracting viewers?

OP posts:
Mynamenotaccepted · 29/12/2018 13:26

Another one here, working in Bethnal Green Christmas 1963 as a student nurse on the neonatal unit in the Children's Hospital. Could pick a few holes in the program but the atmosphere is right brings back so many memories (silly old fool)

AndromedaPerseus · 29/12/2018 13:53

I know a few people who grew up up in Poplar in 50s and 60s and they said the programme depicts that time well

madmum5811 · 29/12/2018 13:54

My granny worked as a nurse in the war and post war, her stories tally with what is shown on CTM

Rockbird · 29/12/2018 14:19

My dad was essentially Timothy. Same age and same area. He says it's spot on.

EnlightenedOwl · 29/12/2018 14:20

I enjoyed it, its very reflective of the times and social changes. Although the Turners are a bit vomit inducing

LRDtheFeministDragon · 29/12/2018 15:36

It was a bit meh. Not as bad as last year's, though! I really felt cheated by that.

I did grin when the midwives had a card from 'Nurse Mount and Nurse Busby' and Sister Julienne looks as if she's just swallowed a lemon. I still wish they'd done some kind of resolution that that storyline. I know it was entirely realistic they'd never have some big reveal, but I would love to see the nuns for once show some kind of realistic bigotry. The only bit we've had was Sister J having issues with teaching birth control.

And yes, it was signposted to buggery that the Turners would take the little girl.

Why did Dr Turner give the temp receptionist lady his Christmas tree, btw? After she'd done her sentimental bit about her own one being the only thing she saved from her parents' bombed out house? I know it's intended to be a lovely generous gesture, but it's such bullshit - I'm fairly sure if she'd wanted to get rid of her prized memento she could have got her own fake tree at some stage in the intervening 20 or so years!

Rockbird · 29/12/2018 15:59

He didn't give it to her, he gave it to the woman (Adele) who had her baby before she'd had time to put her tree up. And the nurses brought all her presents to the maternity home and helped her to wrap them so that Christmas was sorted for her kids.

ChristineBaskets · 29/12/2018 16:24

I thought the dangerous Christmas tree and its deadly lights was going to burn the young couple's house down.

LRDtheFeministDragon · 29/12/2018 17:01

Oh! That makes much more sense.

I got the bit with the nurses bringing in her presents, just somehow thought the tree was for the other woman.

diddl · 30/12/2018 22:09

Oh my goodness Trixie!

Going on & on about her lbd.

Was it supposed to be funny?

She's so self absorbed!

And running off down the street in stockinged feet.

For how much longer will it actually be a thing to "call the midwife"?

twilightcafe · 30/12/2018 22:13

My mum was a nurse /midwife in east London in the mid to late 60s. She refused to watch Call the Midwife. Says she had enough of it at the time. Grin

drspouse · 30/12/2018 22:18

I thought it was great, because it talked about so many issues around adoption, institution, race/ethnicity, SEND.
They even managed to point out that placing the Chinese girls with white families in white towns was not ideal.

RedForShort · 30/12/2018 22:27

my take on the lbd chat was to show that they are so devoted to the women they assist she didn't spare a thought to her dress at the time of help woman by phone box.

Toddlerteaplease · 30/12/2018 22:38

Yes. That was my take on it too.

Binglebong · 30/12/2018 23:01

My favourite characters in recent years (all time will always be Chummy) have been Patsy, Barbara and Sister Winifred. So I'm a bit pissed with this episode!

It was.. ok. Not great but not bad. I feel far more for the little girl who didn't get chosen than for any of the others though. And why was there one seriously disabled child there (and why not adoptable?) when at that time they would have gone in to a specialist home?

FrancisCrawford · 31/12/2018 15:05

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Clawdy · 31/12/2018 15:25

Yes, I can't stand Trixie's faux posh voice, especially when she says "hart" and "har" instead of "hurt" and "her" !

youarenotkiddingme · 31/12/2018 16:25

I watched the Africa Christmas special the other day.
There was something in that that was lacking from this years. I think it's humour? Not comedy but a certain lightheartedness in the interactions of the characters.
Might of been the missing Tom? But Phylis and Fred always has good report with each other.

I don't know what it is but do agree 'something' just wasn't there in this Christmas special. Hope the series is better.

GaryBaldbiscuit · 01/01/2019 08:56

Oh I enjoyed it, brought me to tears.
i did notice the beach, pretty sure there were two beaches, one with shingles and when the left it was all sand dunes.

GaryBaldbiscuit · 01/01/2019 09:09

oh and the point about remembering she is Chinese was not of its time, and since the doctor ending up fostering her, they failed in that respect!
call the midwife is never perfect though

drspouse · 01/01/2019 14:28

At least in Poplar, May will see other Chinese people.

DeloresJaneUmbridge · 01/01/2019 16:37

Hi Polar..Yes I did. She was working very part time as a health visitor in her 70s and knows Trixie was partly based on her as Jennifer Worth told her. They were very good friends up until JW died.

I did have her as a FB friend for a while but think her grandchildren set that up as it's gone. She was a lovely lady.

I last worked with her around five years ago and as far as I know she's fully retired now.

RedEyedGirl · 02/01/2019 20:34

The new series starts on the 13th January

user1457017537 · 10/01/2019 07:39

Limehouse which is near Poplar had a Chinese community at the time.

user1457017537 · 10/01/2019 07:40

I remember the era well and the show is authentic.