Call the Midwife - Christmas Special

[Maireas]

I have loved CTM for years, great characters and stories. Some nice parts last night, but is anyone getting tired of Sr Monica Joan? We jokes in another thread about how much teal there was, so I did laugh at Phyllis having a teal trapeze outfit!

Just think of all the Westerns. The names of tribes were used all the time. The Apache were notorious, the Comanche, most people knew the names.

How old is Trixie meant to be? I think they haven’t married her off because then she’d have to leave - though imo her character has more than exceeded its sell-by date, unlike SMJ (who at least can be expected to stay at Nonnatus House until she dies).

@LillianGish

How old is Trixie meant to be? I think they haven’t married her off because then she’d have to leave - though imo her character has more than exceeded its sell-by date, unlike SMJ (who at least can be expected to stay at Nonnatus House until she dies).

She was supposed to have been born in 1935-1938 so she's between 28-30 in the Christmas special.

They managed to find a way to put Chummy back to work after she'd got married, I'm quite sure Trixie could find a way too. Barbara was working after she got married as well, wasn't she? (See also: Shelagh although a bit different).

This is probably the most twee program ever made. It defines twee. I watch it in a car crash way on my own as dh and teens hate it and I can see why.

The patronising tones! I like the older women they are bearable but the one married to the doctor and the blond one are the worst. And the one that died.

I assembled an entire IKEA kitchen on my own with this on in the background

The way the hospital doctor spoke to the women or about them to their husbands was awful! So patronising.

It was so good when Chummy was in it, I cried at the Christmas special with Holy Night.

Also liked Barbara with Tom (Good life as well)

Even Cynthia was a great character

I agree the show is becoming very formulaic and a bit boring. I like watching it but only as an easy, sunday afternoon watching something new. It's not challenging or particularly exciting, and not much character development any more.

I honestly didnt notice the social distancing. The only bit which stood out to me was the birth scone where they wore masks. And then I looked it up to see if that scene was filmed at a different time and found the whole this was done social distanced and I hadn't even noticed! Quite impressive and hopefully a sign that it is possible to do on TV.

I think maybe they need to jump the show forward in time a bit, to be able to show the East End changing, different problems and attitudes.

@tribpot

I think maybe they need to jump the show forward in time a bit, to be able to show the East End changing, different problems and attitudes.

The Order ended up caring for people with AIDS but that's not so appealing and they wouldn't be able to call it CTM any more.

I enjoyed it as a bit of sweet escapism, especially Phyllis on the trapeze. Not sure why Trixie was wearing a wig, though.

I've just watched the last series.

Quite enjoyed it.

I did wonder about their funding though.

Now that there is a health service.

I can sort of see the "what are they needed for" argument.

Do the midwives get paid at all?

Yes the midwives in the show do get paid.

I think midwives like CTM did still exist in the early 60s - many women still gave birth at home. I think it changed around the late 60s- early 70s?

The cottage hospital and the midwife service appear to be under the control of the local health board in some way - the hospital more so than the midwife service. I'd assumed the non-nun midwives were NHS employees. When their uniforms changed this seemed to be some directive from somewhere else?

@Toddlerteaplease

I can't imagine that Reggie would have been treated as kindly as that in the 1960's.

On the sixties we had a friend living with Down’s Syndrome who was very much loved and valued by his family and the community. We were younger than him so looked up to him and he tolerated us kindly. So I don’t agree with this although I think a lot of attitudes would have been very different for many - just not for all.

The Order ended up caring for people with AIDS but that's not so appealing and they wouldn't be able to call it CTM any more.

But Aids didn’t emerge until the 80s. It would be great if they kept going through that period too.

The pill resulted in a huge drop in the number of births, the actual figures are in one of the books and are quite amazing. At the same time people were being moved out of the slums into tower blocks or New Towns. The whole picture would have changed by the 70s.

I thought I'd posted but obviously not 😄

I got into CtM quite late and binged it all. I'd appreciate 2 or 3 more series (or more) to see us through the 60s and even the 70s ha.

I'm gutted Val's gone. I wonder if it was a contract/money dispute
It seemed very abrupt. I was looking forward to a love interest storyline - potentially with the young doctor gah!

I find Shelagh ridiculously smug and twee 😂
I enjoyed her character when the Turners went camping and the arrival of Magda the au pair. I quite like the comedy dynamic with the Turner family shh.

I have a soft spot for Timothy Turner having watched him grow up. I'd love to see him given a meatier storyline now he's an older teen. Is he 17/18 yet? I suppose the teen pregnancy storyline has already been done but I'd like to see Tim with a complex ongoing storyline - not just his A levels and going to medical school! It could be set to a soundtrack of fab music of the era.
I suppose nothing too out-there would happen to the middle-class son of a doctor.
Perhaps he could appear on a motorbike next series wearing a leather jacket and have a pregnancy-scare-love-triangle for a few episodes 😂 Rebellious lol.

Definitely more music of the era required anyway.

How does Trixie seem to struggle so much for dates? I've always thought she looked stunning and very eye catching for the era. Obviously she's choosy but you'd think she'd have found a nice young doctor or two by now?! Her relationship with the curate always felt peculiar. The dentist storyline ending was disappointing though I'm glad they didn't have her settle down at that point in time. I vote for a return of the dentist or a new doctor/lawyer
Please don't say they're going for a reunion with Tom. I'll never not see him as Barbara's husband

I thought the thalidomide storyline was very sensitively done. I like that Susan and her family have made further appearances - hope they continue to do so.

I'm not a big fan of the Christmas specials ☺️

In real life, Trixie and Tom are together with a baby daughter!

I’m all for Timothy Turner going after Trixie. He could go all biker - she could go a bit Livvy NewtonJohn.

The puce outrage in Shelagh’s face would cancel out the teal of the units a bit.

Hahahahaha!

In the late 60s early 70s where I grew up, a bit further east than the real East End - most women had their first in Hospital and then had the midwife for their next babies (often at Mum's house).

Trixie needs to get married - she's becoming tragic rather than what she first was.
The Turners just make me think about all the complications likely to happen to their lives as their new family grow up - a chinese child (not as common as when my DC were growing up) and an adopted daughter. The teenage years would be likely to be really complex for them.

It would get really complex if TImmy Turner bagged him a bit of Trixie.

@Clawdy

In real life, Trixie and Tom are together with a baby daughter!

She apparently had an elected caesarian because 'she didn't think she could cope with child birth'.

"How does Trixie seem to struggle so much for dates? I've always thought she looked stunning and very eye catching for the era."

Maybe she comes off as too vacuous?