CAll The Midwife

I enjoy Vanessa Redgrave's voice introducing each episode, lovely woman, lovely voice. For me, the voiceover introduction, and Jennifer Worth's handwriting in the opening credits, serve as reminders of the origin and originator of the series.

Sister Monica Jones (Judy Parfitt) has become the star player for me over the past 3 series. The charming silliness of her love of 'food and cake' underlies the depth of her strength of emotion and world brilliantly. She might not have a lot to say but when she does her words are always poignant and you understand she has a true kindness of mind and understanding of situations after all.

Fred, what about Fred, he is getting more attention and he is just adorable kindness on 2 legs. He looks after Sister Monica Jones and the episode where he became the guardian to his cousins Downs Syndrome son had me weeping practically start to finish as it gave the bitter and the sweet storyline that never fails to drag you in.

I thought that was so good too merlotgran, Sister Monica Joan is such a wonderful character.
It's lovely to have a programme like this to counterbalance all the police and reality shows.

I love Sister Monica Joan. Her part has grown from the doddery old nun that everyone humoured to the most kind and caring character you could wish for in a Sunday night feelgood drama.

Her distress always seems so real likewise her determination. I loved the episode where she missed the television so much the residents in the seamen's mission put a chair outside the window so she could look in.

Jane10 that is exactly how I felt about it at first.

I am increasingly impressed by call the midwife. It seemed a bit saccharine to start with but not now.
The rather dotty Sister is rather eccentric but very compassionate. The older Yorkshire midwife is very believable.
The young sister with the mental health issues who was "rescued" from the awful mental hospital with great compassion.
I can't remember their names excellent performances all round.

The handling of the FGM issue was done extremely well.
I was not surprised by the woman being upset that she would no longer be able to please her husband.

I remember seeing a BBC documentary about that years ago now in the Kenya Uganda area.
I got a book out of the library which was an Egyptian woman's womans account of FGM and her concerns about it.
My mother in law picked it up while I was at work and started reading it and was horrified not having ever heard anything about FGM
"Female circumcision" was how it was referred to. When I actually found out just how awful a practice it was, I was appalled.
The program did make it quite clear that is was a cultural practice which women carried out and encouraged.
I think this series is about to end though.

There by the grace of God indeed, I'm another who took Debendox for severe sickness. My baby was born in 1970 with a cleft palate and a club foot and for years I worried the drug had caused these things. In fact it was caused by an undiagnosed syndrome, but we only discovered this when her own daughters were found to have this syndrome some 35 years later.

That's charming Christine

I had experience of not so nice nurses too KatyK. I remember I had a problem with breast feeding and the midwife said, come along Mother you have nipples like chapel hat pegs, get on with it. So caring !

Bleuch! That voiceover implies the programme is sentimental claptrap which it isn't if you watch it. I almost didn't bother when I heard the introduction but did persevere. I wonder how many of the people who complain about the programme being 'wet' were influenced by the schmaltzy intro?

Melty, what a lovely word Auntieflo,

I was pregnant in 1968 and took Debendox as well Lona. There but for the grace of God.

Merlotgran, I also like Vanessa Redgrave's voice, makes me go all 'melty'

So to go back to F.G.m. what could be done in this country to stop it happening? I remember hearing about it in the early Sixties and am exasperated that it still goes on here.

Indinana we noticed that too; L plates became compulsory in 1937

Some were lovely when I had my DC but I did wonder why some of them went into the profession as they seemed to dislike mothers so much!

I thought the same KatyK,

I like this programme but I am always astonished how lovely the midwives, doctors and nurses are. My mother had 7 children, born in the '40s and '50s. I can't remember many people treating her with care and kindess. I was pregnant with my daughter in 1969 and most of the medical people who 'cared for' me weren't very kind. I was 19 when my daughter was born and I was in hospital waiting to be induced and was so terrified I was sick in the toilet. I told a nurse and her reply was 'well you'd better clean it up then hadn't you.' Perhaps we were just unfortunate. Oh for some of those lovely midwives!

A lighthearted comment on CTM now - how come Nurse Phyllis Crane allows Sister Winifred to drive her car without L plates? They were definitely mandatory in the '60s - fairly sure they'd been mandatory since the late '30s!

harri I had dreadful morning sickness in 1972, and I was given Debendox.

I can't stand the introduction by Vanessa Redgrave either.
That gravelly voice is nothing like the voice of the actress who played Jennifer Worth in the original set of series; even though it is supposed to be 'old Jennifer' her voice wouldn't have changed that much surely.

I had the most dreadful morning sickness in 1968, it lasted most of the day and I lost most of each day's meals. The GP gave me tablets but I can not remember what they were called. When I gave birth the midwife asked what I had taken and I almost went into meltdown because I thought she was trying to tell me something was wrong with the baby.
I thought the coverage of this issue was well done and even though I was nursing at that time I never came across one case.

The voice is Vanessa Redgrave playing Jennifer Worth, the author of the original books. They're a memoir so she's supposed to sound old and.... wistful?

I quite like it.

Vanessa Redgrave has a soft voice

I do always watch CTM but am always irritated by the saccariny spoken introduction! The sickly sweet sentimental voice undermines the, often very serious, topics covered.