Call the Midwife

[ilovecarbs90]

Is back 18th April. I'm so glad we are getting a series this year, I find it such great escapism.

Is anyone else a fan?

@Optimist1

Why didn't Fred win the accumulator? I heard him say something about trying to be clever, but didn't quite get the sense of it.

He put his money on West Germany not England. Nobody thought England would win.

@EastWestWhosBest

How was the nanny old enough to have been the handsome widowers nanny?

Jacob Rees Mogg 's children are looked after by his own nanny. It's not unheard of.

@SoupDragon

I thought she went to the orphanage when she was 7.

Aye. But I meant if mum had had a younger sibling by another man and dad had divorced her/sent her off to the Laundries. He then found he couldn't cope with his own kids so sent them off to the orphanage. Maybe.

In modern times the Turner children wouldn't always win everything (it wouldn't be deemed fair) but back in the 60s, this would have happened a lot, I'm sure. I am surprised though that the Turners wouldn't be sensitive to such things? It would also be entirely realistic to have some of the other local parents rolling their eyes in annoyance!

The Turner girls would be Mary in every nativity play.

That reminds me of a caravan holiday when I was little. There was a village fete, and we watched a children's fancy dress parade, I'd never seen anything like that! Two children were dressed as fairies, and looked amazing, I so wanted to be them! They won first prize, and behind me, I heard a lady murmur " So the doctor's kids win again, there's a surprise! "

I found it a really distracting episode. It was darting all over the place. Where are the babies? Call the midwife...not Call Dr Turner.

@eggandonion

The Turner girls would be Mary in every nativity play.

I think they are in the same school year. I would pay good money to see them fight it out for the top spot 😂 Perhaps one could be Joseph.

I think this episode was pretty much just introducing the new students.

Dr Turner's daughters include May, they have a younger son dont they?
he would be proud of them being nurses, i think saying he would be proud of them being doctors would be a progressive step too far.

programme so preachy, as usual. and the social distance jarring, couple now engaged .. but well done to producers for trying, the show must go on and all that.

i loved the receptionists attitude about the venereal clinic what a very unsavoury state of affairs
made me chuckle

@GarethSouthgatesWaistcoat

I can't imagine Tim not going to med school but the way they're building it up makes it seem that there's going to be a hiccup. Maybe he'll turn rebellious in time for the Summer of Love

The boy is invincible! Don’t forget he had to wear callipers for the first couple of series, then by the liberal application of Dr Turner’s Efficacious Embrocation and a daily dose of Dr Turner’s Worthy Though Mildly Controversial Advice tablets he was cured.

Well done Timmy!

I've just watched it, it's a bit sad to see how people were persecuted years ago, for homosexuality, abortion etc. It's very much the Dr Turner show though, him and her are beginning to irritate me! I really hope for Trixie to have a happy ending though

The mum is Rebecca Lacey , was also dr Georgie in casualty. In the early 90’s her boyfriend was evil Geoff from Corrie ( Ian Bartholomew). They came to my town to open a summer event as he grew up here. She is really tiny in real life!

We had one nativity season with a shared Mary, child from the big house and the teacher's pet alternated. Both blondes. The Tunisian girl was never Mary, despite presumably resembling her. The year of the musical nativity was mayhem.
I liked the progressive Catholic nuns in the trendy outfits. I can still remember seeing nuns in the old habits.

The Anglican nuns still keep their habits, don't they? There was a lovely picture of two nuns voting in the Guardian on election day.

@anon12345678901, it still goes on.

it still goes on.

Thankfully it's getting less common. At least in this country. I had a conversation with my children once about how none of my schoolmates were gay when I was at school. Clearly this was not really the case at all! DC had several openly gay friends throughout school. It's wonderful how things have changed in my lifetime.

There are fully habited Catholic communities today.

I enjoyed this episode more than some of the others. I like the student midwives. I spotted some anti-Irish sentiment which would be good for then to explore. My aunts were Irish nurses in England in the sixties (with capes!).

I found Phyllis far more realistic than Dr Turner regarding attitudes to homosexuality. Still accepting but not so saccharine. Did feel like modern views imposed on a historical show.

I wish it was more woman focused. Even this episode could have had the young man's mum as the main character of that sub story. She could have needed district nursing and been worried about her son, who seems in pain and/or distant. They still could have explored the story of homosexuality.

I like Lucille and Cyril but the social distancing is just killing it. Will see how their engagement party goes next week. Couldn't the actors have bubbled? For a week to film romantic scenes? How are we supposed to believe they are a couple when they're always 2 metres apart?

I want more Sister Julienne. And Sister Mary Cynthia to return. And Chummy. I think Sister Monica Joan will pass away shortly. I'm glad she got to have a resurgence of her faith.

It’s like Cynthia never existed :(

What year is CtM supposed to have started? We’re now in 1967 - what year did it start?

Sorry looked it up - 1967. Maybe Trixie’s lack of aging is not as unrealistic as I though - but that means she’s supposed to be what, 30? 35?

I hadn't noticed the social distancing in any of the other episodes (not without looking for it), but this one it was so glaring I couldn't ignore it. I'll be glad when they can go back to normal filming again.

Cynthia went to the therapeutic community Dr Turner went to. But surely she's treated now? Or at least back the Mother House convalescing. She'd be a good companion to Sister Frances

DD popped her head round the door last night to ask if SMJ had died yet

I must admit to thinking Lucille and Cyril were already engaged.

It's a such a shame Dr Turner was too busy rescuing people from sinister hospitals to score the winning World Cup goal.

And I thought the placenta talk was lovely- a good bit of proper female energy. I want to see more of woman-centred stuff. Who watches CTM for Fred Buckle and Dr T anyway.

I've just watched the opening of the very first episode - 1957. Trixie looked much younger (about 10 years younger 😂). I suppose she was early 20s then?