Call the midwife

[TwinklyFawn]

The call the midwife christmas special is on bbc 1 in 2 parts. The first part will be shown on christmas day at 20:00. The second part will be shown at 19:30 on boxing day. Series 14 will start on 5th January. I am suprised that it has not been renamed as the doctor Turner show.

The mums face as he went in to cubs totally got me. Great episode, what a return to form.

I just don’t think I can watch this anymore. It’s become an absolute parody of itself.

Are you his no 1 fan? Now I know he has single handedly saved Poplar from every disease known to man, but he's still annoying.

I agree.I noted that Heidi Thomas was one of the two writers of tonight's episode. I think the storylines this season are a long stronger than the last few seasons.

The last two episodes have been far more like the old series.

I’ve taught children ( years ago) affected by rubella and mumps.
I’m freaking out slightly as I cannot remember my children being offered measles vaccinations later in the 70s than Call the Midwife’s episode tonight. We lived in a very rural, quite remote area so wonder if that was something to do with it. Both later caught measles, thankfully mildly, and I caught it from them. same with Rubella though I’d been told I had antibodies when I was pregnant so how that happened I’ve no idea.

It’s not that, it’s just that in a drama when someone goes rushing off in a car with an urgent task it very often ends with a car crash.

I don't think we can assume that the funeral took place within a couple of days, we could have been seeing weeks going by and probably were.

I'm with @TicklishAzurePanda sometimes it's a bit much. I really enjoy this show while being fully aware that it's a bit rubbish at times but I don't care. Similarly a friend and I were talking about Death in Paradise late on Friday after we'd seen a clip on Graham Norton (Don Gilet was a guest) and what the star guests must have been thinking because it's really rather poor but we enjoy it despite all that. A little bit of ribbing is funny but after a while it gets tired. The stuff last week about him curing/knowing all about AIDS sort of got to me a bit because being alive and seeing what was going on around us and having the fear in a way that previous recent generations, well I guess just the Baby Boomer generation, didn't have. It was scary and horrible and heartbreaking. Blah. I didn't say anything because I'd have come across as slightly off my head, but anyway.

Sometimes they do the Turners no favours with the script. Tonight they got it just about right. My take on it is that Shelagh will always be a little bit nun which can make her annoying at times and that's fine. Dr Turner is given too much exposition which makes him annoying and I wish they could hold back on that but when they get the balance right they're lovely characters and I'd love a GP who cared that much.

I'm glad it's not just me that feels that way. The writing does seem back on form and issue driven rather than just domestic stuff. Mind you the best scene ever for me related to Thalidomide. Two mums sat talking on a bench outside a hospital, talking about their experiences. Educational but so well written. At its best CTM is fabulous. I do admit that there have been weak spots too as in any show that has been on TV for 14 years.

It looks like Cyril is back next week

Good!

Loved the new nun.

Anyway, after all that being a great big killjoy (and I'm not even sorry) it was a good episode again. I cried when the poor mother died because it was such a shock. The measles story was strong and well done. My brother caught it as a baby and it lead to partial deafness and years of being in and out of hospital with serious issues. I've often wondered if all of that helped his journey into drug addiction but who can tell. I know that it's really important to protect children from measles and all the rest of it and anyone making shit up about the so-called dangers makes me really.

I like the new nun and I'm looking forward to her story - which I've read about - unfolding.

Oh and last week I found out - and I'm sure you all know this already - that Reggie is Dirty Den's son.

Yay for the return of Cyril!

My mum had the vaccine. She was born in 1967.

I had rubella vaccine when I was in secondary school about 1976. The mmr came later, I think, Prince William had it early 1980s?

I cried pretty much through all that episode, CTM has redeemed itself 👍

@TwinklyFawn me too, nothing for mumps available (caught that aged about 3 and deaf probably as a result), rubella jab at 13

Agree , felt more like older ctm episodes

I had the measles vaccine when I was about four I think, born in 1964, we were living very rurally at that time and I remember going to the doctor’s for it. That would fit with what they portrayed in the programme showing them catching up with older children who hadn’t had it. DM suffered corneal ulcers as a child from measles as a child and my DF had his vision damaged as well.

DM was a nurse and a great advocate of vaccination, she would have been outraged at the anti vax propaganda which is spreading online, she brought us up to see vaccination as something we were really privileged to have. I even volunteered for a COVID vaccine trial.

Just finishing the episode as I watched on catchup. I really like the new nun too! Nice to see more focus on the nuns again, as that's one of the more unusual and interesting aspects to CTM for me.

I also shed a few tears when the dad snapped at the pregnant daughter for making her mum get the sterilisation, and when the younger child broke down sobbing. Possibly only because I have awful PMT and have been trying not to snap at my two all day, though.

I need an origami nun!

We liked the new nun, but the rest of it was a load of predictable old silliness.

My husband - ‘do you think Dr Turner will personally deliver the vaccinations?’ Er, of course. When he said ‘I’d better get my skates on…’ I was briefly hopeful he’d do it on actual 1970’s skates.

Why did you find the depiction of a child seriously disabled by measles 'silliness'? Genuine question

I assume she's back in USA seeing Matthew and Jonty.