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.

That's interesting @Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g I bet the BBC wish they could go back and do more of the earlier stuff because as you point out it will have to end in a few years.

I was convinced they'd set things up so the very poor family could move into the empty flat - at least on a temporary basis - and that Violet could pull some strings to make that happen.

Why was Trixie there? And why would she plan to spend Xmas day flying back to America?

Irish bloke was creepy, declaring love after 1 date. And how did he sprain his ankle? He seemed to just throw himself down on flat ground. And who gets pethedine for just a sprain?

And what's going on with the nun that didn't win a prize for her mince pies, was downing spoonfuls of cooking brandy and making eyes at Trixie's clearly gay brother?

And can't they just knock the Lucille line on the head? She's clearly not coming back.

Disclaimer - I may have nodded off a few times and not given the story lines my full attention.

Yeah i thought that - and then thought the nun and gay man

Could Irish man have an addiction?

Suppose it's plausible if he has free access to drugs he's peddling?

@Hedgerow2 my DH declared love on our 2nd date. 36 years ago now! Perhaps the chap is just nice and it's love at first sight. It was for DH and me.

I didn't interpret a love match between Trixie's brother and the nun. I thought it was more about them reflecting on their life circumstances and potential trajectories moving forward. Her possibly leaving the order, him coming out. Wasn't homosexuality made legal in 1968?

@RosesAndHellebores - how lovely! Rare though I think.

(Google tells me homosexuality was legalised in the UK in 1967 and CTM is now at 1969. I doubt the news has reached Nonnatus House though!)

Never trust a love bomber in any situation be it romance, friendship or work! That's my advice from experience.

It wasn’t about just legalisation. Social attitudes to homosexuality remained extremely critical for a long time afterwards. In the 90s I still had friends who were too scared to come out.

@Hedgerow2
I've sprained my ankle in really innocous situations so it is possible, but it looked ridiculous on the programme. He could've at least been stepping off a kerb (how I did it!).

It's very solid advice. Love bombing never ends well.

@Aintnobodygottime - totally agree. I can remember the snide jokes and stereotyping of gay people in the 80s and 90s.

I thought the drug rep man had had a fit. He just seemed to land on the ground without even tripping up.

There may be some diazepam addiction going on there. It's the right decade for it. Or maybe Mrs. T. will start taking benzos for an innocuous reason, and get hooked.

In the 1960s hospitals gave pain relief more readily than nowadays, so pethidine is possible. Ibuprofen and diclofenac hadn't been invented.

I found the christmas special boring. I cannot warm to the tranquiliser man. I have already forgotten his name but i kept dozing off out of bordum. I may try watching series 14 on 5 january. I will probably give up if it is as bad as the christmas special.

It's too syrupy now.

Are we in the era of all the housewives taking speed?

On the contrary, based on recent series they were probably at the front of the marches! Years ago they did portray the nuns' conflicted attitudes to termination of pregnancy, but on most social issues all regular speaking characters seem to be way ahead of the times. Not how I remember the late 60s and early 70s at all!

I know it was for modern sensibilities but it jarred a bit that the MisPer bulletin about Reggie mentioned his height, hair colour, glasses etc but not his Down Syndrome.

It did eventually mention it but they were sort of speaking over it so you might have missed it.

They did mention it.

I think that's why they also had the hook into him being found by the lady and her DD who also has Down's syndrome.

The salesman Roger is from NI, Suggest that he’s Protestant. Nancy is catholic? 1969 troubles kicking off?

Although it annoys me when they keep mentioning Nancy’s Cork accent.

I'm looking forward to it getting to 1971 in 2026 as I was born early that year and I'll be able to see the fashions/furniture/cars etc

Indeed @VaddaABeetch my mum could barely understand my cousins from Cork!!

@YouOKHun instead of Mrs Turner mixing a cake shaking against the Formica I read
Dr Turner taking her against the Formica.

Nancy has a very a Dublin accent. Why couldn’t she just be from Dublin?

@VaddaABeetch I don't think you're the sort of viewer CTM wants! It's a plot twist you could suggest but I doubt it will ever get past Mrs Turner's reinforced girdle so I don't think it will happen even though it would do them both some good.