Call the midwife

[NimbleHiker]

The Christmas special of call the midwife is on bbc 1 in 2 parts again. The first part is on at 20:15 on Christmas day and the second part is on at 20:30 on boxing day. I am not a fan of the Christmas special been in 2 parts. I wonder how doctor Turner and his simpering wife will save the world.

It was just an excuse for them to set the Christmas episode in Hong Kong

DH went away from DD was 14 months, back at 20months. She didn't really remember him (but was comfortable with him straight away, so maybe she did in a way?). But her friends a few months older did recognise their Dads.

Does anyone remember chicken pox parties? I held a couple when dcs were little. I had people phoning me from nursery asking if they could come round with their DCs so made it into a ‘party’.

I don't remember chicken pox parties but i doubt that my mum would have let me go to one anyway. She was really paranoid about viruses in general. She would think about phoning the doctors if i even dared to have a sore throat.

And didn’t she send the cap in the Christmas episode which he was wearing.

I didn't do it but I've heard of them.

There was no contact between Christopher and the family with chickenpox besides the fact Dr Turner was there for both stories.

In The Call the Midwife Christmas book from a few years ago they talked about how much they do to look after the little actors. I think they just wait for them to cry which they will do because they’re babies/toddlers in new environments and film very quickly! Baby Colin had very short close ups and I assume they just put a bit of red makeup on him. Babies are only allowed to film for about 20 mins at a time. All the non close up scenes when all you could see was the box or blanket would have been a prosthetic baby surely

@Peach27but he would also have to avoid the pox as he risks passing it on.

I thought the point was that he was unsettled because the chemo made him feel so awful.

Could they just bring his mother over on a whim? Wouldn't she have needed some sort of visa?

Isn't it mostly a matter of sedating the child for the relevant period and setting up a drip? I doubt much specialist expertise would be needed for that.

@Fulmineno, giving chemo is a specialist job, as is managing the side effects, and complications. They need close monitoring blood counts etc etc. Children with Wilms tumours often have very high blood pressure as well.

I see what you mean @Fulmine although he must surely hardly remember Hong Kong now. However at least he will now be with people who speak his first language and have Sister Veronika on hand 24/7! Funny though how they could spare her from her role to go to Hong Kong but not to do so in the UK.

There is a museum called the Surgeons Hall in Edinburgh which has lots of things like that. Fascinating but a bit macabre. I’ve been once and don’t think I could stomach it again. I hope they asked people’s permission before displaying ‘items’ but suspect they didn’t for most.

Army hospitals in the early 1970’s would of course be able to treat Christopher and administer chemotherapy! I was an army nurse back then,I was a midwife!
The Louise Margaret hospital in Aldershot were doing routine ultrasounds long before the NHS were and epidurals!
There is a misunderstanding about forces hospitals,they didn’t just treat soldiers.They treated the whole family and the locals.
All the hospitals were well equipped,had the top doctors and nurses and we were never short staffed.

When I left the Army I was a midwife at our local NHS hospital,I absolutely hated every minute I worked there,lasted all of two months.So I got pregnant!

Now we have no military hospitals,when I was serving,we had Aldershot,Tidworth,Catterick,Woolwich,several hospitals in Germany,Cyprus,Singapore and Hong Kong.Also a unit in Belfast .

Our forces have been cut back to the bare bones,no hope for us if we go to war again

I was born by C Section in a Military hospital abroad in the mid 50s. My Dad was working with the RAF but not then serving with them.
He was in the Met Office which was then MoD.

Army doctors/nurses etc work in the NHS hospitals now.

Although the dentist on one if our postings was Major Payne. Genuinely. He used his first name for the children's appointments.

My dentist, as a child, was Miss Slaughter.

My dad was taught to swim as an adult by a Mr Drown!!

My gynecologist was Mr Hackett. Luckily, I didn't have a Caesarean

Ah my GP was Dr Butcher.
He was lovely!

Top nominative determinism

On the DVD releases of Horrible Histories there's sketches they didn't show on the telly.
Dr D'oom and his colleague Dr D'eath.
They were hilarious. Dr D'oom would always be "this could be serious....let me call my colleague Dr D'eath...."

🤣

Lol.