Call The Midwife Christmas Special

[PinkFrogss]

Anyone watching? Apologies if I’ve missed the thread.

I wouldn't mind if a tragedy happened to Dr Turner instead of Collette. I had my fingers crossed in that train crash.

So I've NEVER watched this before, but watched the xmas one for various reasons.
Anyway, why is Dr Turner so disliked on here? I'd love to know the back story 😊
Also, why was the tableau so criticised, and the Virgin Mary? What have i missed?

Ie not sen one for this year.

I am not sure I am up to an emotional program!

Ah...remember the days when Sister MJ was placated with a sponge cake in a tin from the top of the kitchen cabinet...now it's a whole shindig that they had to bring in extra characters to carry off!

There just wasn't a whole heap of midwifery going on was there, just a lot of side show, although I guess they thought quads made up for lack of babies.

I've just had a look to see what is in store for the first episode of the new series (Sunday 7th Jan) but there isn't much of a write up, just mention of two pupil midwives moving in (is there space now?!) and Rosie Jones appears in the episode too.

I'll give it a go, of course I will, but I feel it's veered too far from the path now.

Oh and for me, up to the end of the 70s it was still school dinners and dinner time. I don't recall saying lunch break until early 80s.

This one wasn't, particularly.

Quickest way to answer that is to see if you can find Episode 1, Series 1. Dr Turner was a bit part then. However, he is married to Heidi Thomas, the showrunner and principal writer, who adapted the books for the first few series and now they're all used up invents the storylines, so series by series it's less Call the Midwife and more Call Dr Turner! Annoying. I have nothing against Stephen McGann, but I loved the focus on women (midwives and mothers) and babies.

I'd be disappointed if they were choosing their language to suit overseas audience.

Yes all this ^. Plus the fact he's unrealistically forward thinking, despite him being a privileged man in his late 50s, that presumably is religious (or at least religion features in his life - his being married to an ex-nun). All of which you'd imagine realistically would influence his thinking.

Add to that he's unrealistically all knowing and always the saviour. Always knows more than anyone at all, always better than those that specialise in the area of medicine or bridge engineering.

Plus the acting is questionable. But that might be because his character is unrealistic and always used for the information dumps.

(Sorry my arrow relates to the post about why Dr Turner is annoying.)

Dr Turner not religious. At beginning before he was with Shelagh he was going through notes of a cot death baby and made a comment about his non belief. Also when the pill was first introduced he was all for unmarried women being given access but Sister Julienne reminded him of Anglican teaching at time on sex before marriage and she made a comment along the lines of 'as at least Mrs Turner will be aware' . Being a pillar of the community, he would have attended church regularly as he would have been expected to. I do find the proportion of the time given to his family distracting but some aspects, such as being called in to a forceps delivery is corect. Even in the first series he was called to a breech birth by Sister Evangelina of all people. I do get irritated when people have a dig at DrT when he does things that are correct for that time or even now!

Religious or not, if it was just kept at "things that are correct for that time or even now", such at him being called for forceps births, it wouldn't be unrealistic.

However, he's written as knowing more than everyone about everything. (Such as multiple births with fertility drugs- he knew it would be higher than two. Plus we were given a consultant who apparently didn't know this, just to shine a light on how knowng Dr Turner is.)

As I said he's used for information dumps; which just adds to the all knowing nonsense. And requires too much focus on him.

He needs to spend a bit more time in his teal sex dungeon and less being the most marvelous one. It would be better for his character.

Yes him being called for a forceps delivery is realistic and correct for the time, but so much else that goes on simply isn’t.

People dislike him because it used to be a women centric show, with the skilled and trained midwives dealing with the majority of cases and supporting women. Now they call a man for every little thing and it’s become the doctor turner show. He flits between explaining the most basic of things to solving medical mysteries and making big discoveries.

The moon landings happened in November 1969. Which would tie in nicely with the end of the next series. My theory - in the final episode, everyone will be gathered around the TV watching the momentous event. Sister MJ will smile beatifically and close her eyes just as Neil Armstrong utters the "one great step for mankind" line. Then the next scene will be someone noticing her failure to respond when offered a piece of cake, and the camera slowly zooming out as everyone rushes to her side and Sister Julienne feels her pulse. And Jennifer Worth's closing commentary will be about times changing, loved ones passing away, the promise of a new decade, etc. over shots of Sister MJ's funeral and everyone crying. Then next year's Christmas episode will include lots of cake in order to engineer references to the dear departed. Also references to her prediction that last Christmas would be her last will also be mentioned.

And then there will be a close up in Neil Armstrong to show he was actually Dr Turner all along.

😂

Aw thanks to everyone who explained re Dr Turner 💓
I can see why he's so irritating then - yep, I noticed him saying that there was a higher chance of multiple births, and the Harley St specialist pooh-poohing him 🤣

Personally, because I don't think he's a good actor and the character is a know it all. There's too much focus on him. He's married to the writer of the show though, so we're stuck with him

Not sure re the tableau

What are you not sure about?

And I agree with this and what everyone else said

I was replying to the person asking why people didn't like the tableau and saying I didn't know, as I didn't have much of an opinion on it

First manned moon landing was July 1969.

I found the whole episode saccharine, even allowing for it being the Christmas special. And so much wooden acting and twee storylines. I wonder if the original, real nuns are still watching ( the ones still alive obv!)

Yes but he accepted that

I like him but they need to tone it down a bit

He needs to cock up

I think Stephen McGann is a good actor, but I agree that the extent to which his character is central now is really distracting and full of mansplaining. The story line where he and Shelagh first connect, and she leaves the order to marry him was really good, but mainly because it was focused more on Shelagh's struggle with her vocation (as I remember it).