MATERNAL ITV MON 9pm. TV PACE. NO SPOILERS

[Blondeshavemorefun]

One of the recent shows in the slate of new dramas is also Maternal, a six-part medical drama that centres on three women who are not only juggling their lives as new mothers, but also the post-pandemic world of frontline medicine.

We follow Maryam, a paediatric registrar, Catherine, a general and trauma Surgeon, and Helen, a registrar in acute medicine, who are played by Parminder Nagra (DI Ray), Lara Pulver (The Split) and Lisa McGrillis (King Gary) respectively. It's a stellar cast with an important plot line.

Maternal tells the stories of the three leading doctors as they each attempt to balance their increasingly demanding jobs in post-pandemic frontline medicine with their lives as new mothers. It's a series concerned with motherhood, as much as it is about the NHS and the intense demands of working in it.

According to the synopsis: "Maternal explores working motherhood with wit, warmth and humour and offers a unique perspective on our beloved, overstretched NHS, and the people who hold it together. Sometimes."

i wondered if it was him, though not as good looking as he was?

I really enjoyed this, will definitely be keeping my series link on.

I loved it. Can you tell

Nice to see the struggle of working mothers

And the crap bits of job. Like the boy dying

www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/jan/16/maternal-review-you-know-these-exhausted-women-in-your-bones

Lucy Mangan the Guardian TV critic really enjoyed it too. Four stars out of five from her.

No spoilers please 🙏

This is tv paced

if the Episode has been shown we can talk about it

it was on last night

I hate spoilers

but equally if I haven’t seen the episode I avoid the thread till I have so I don’t read anything I don’t want to know

Perfect. Thankyou for explaining.

I watched it, thought it was very good and can really see it developing.

Friend hasn't seen it so will tell her to avoid the thread 👍

😁

Pretty outstanding cast, but also a bit predictable especially the sex in the supplies cupboard.

I stuck with it, and hope that it'll go deeper next week.

PMSL about the comment from Simon in the Inbetweeners. I thought that too

Well obv they all shag in the Laundry cupboard @Badger1970 😂😂

Does anyone else think it odd all these women “returning” to work the are in their mid to late 40s?? I know women are having babies later in life but come on!

I don't think they look/are meant to be mid/late 40s.

The one with the arse husband has three children, seems about 36/7. Parminder's character seems late 30s, and the surgeon could be anywhere between late 30s/40s.

Also, given how long it takes to become a doctor + time to specialise, I think it's pretty realistic that women would have a family later than if they hadn't studied medicine?

I looked up the actors ages and they’re all mid/late 40s, just think it would be more realistic if they had women in their 30s playing the main characters.

This passed me by, but sounds promising, I'll have a look.

Agree it really jarred with me how old they were, most senior registrars would be early/mid 30s depending on the specialty. That's presuming they came through uni straight from school though I guess. Anywho I enjoyed it from a working mum perspective - less said about the hair band on the trouser button the better ha

Given that one has had her third child and another her second, and they have all not only had to get a medical degree but progressed quite far in their respective careers, it seems to me entirely realistic for them to be late 30s/early 40s. Presumably appointment to registrar would have been delayed by previous maternity leave?

I thought it was really good but the sex in the cupboard scene was really stupid. Anyone can get in with a pass and if someone caught them they would lose their jobs surely??? I don't know maybe not but seemed really silly. Also when the surgeon lady told that guy he was a father his reaction seemed pretty muted considering the massive news she just dumped on him. It was kind of odd.

Agree re the hackneyed sex in the linen cupboard. Someone asleep would be far more believable

I didn’t think about it their ages - assume did their career first or wasn’t that easy to get preg

and I was almost 44 when gave birth

Mother Nature doesn’t always play ball !!!

wanted to be 33/34

10yrs ttc and 5 private ivf and our miracle baby blondes arrived

I watched this tonight. Loved it. Particularly the comment about how easy it is for men to advance when they have a wife.

I feel sorry for the actor that plays Mr Cavendish (Kelly from Mum husband) as he always plays a selfish twat husband who 9/10 can’t keep it zipped 😂. He’s the twat husband in motherland, the twat husband in this and the year husband in Trying on Apple TV. Literally the same character each time 🤣

Was also going to say, do you think Lara Pulver’s character has told the wrong guy he’s the Dad? 👀

He plays twat well 😂😂

Yes I did wonder if wasn't the flying married doc and actually the shagging in cupboard one

I’m really excited about this . The three doctors in real life are members of my Facebook doctor mums group so I’m excited to see a realistic portrait of how it is

it literally says TV pace in the title, when would you consider it acceptable to discuss what happened in the already aired episode? once you’ve had a chance to watch it I presume? 😆

by the end of ep 1 I’d forgotten whether or not maryam did ask the junior dr to call microbiology or if she said she would? Or was it unclear?