Call the midwife

I enjoy Vera and Call The Midwife. The latter is on for an hour, many stories are covered, they cannot include the death of a baby ever week .

And yes, I did shed tears. Can't say I enjoyed them though.

There was nothing sugary about the episode where a baby born with multiple disabilities after his mother took thalidomide was left by an open window to die alone. I'd never have imagined such a thing could have happened till I saw that.

then?

Jane10 - there has been infant and maternal mortality in previous series. What were the rates the?

This thread has mutated away from 'Call the Midwife'. Why not sartorial a slagging 'Vera' thread.
Anyway re realism in C the M. The 1960s infant mortality rate isn't exactly depicted in this sugary programme...

If ever there was an implausible TV detective (and there are plenty), Vera is the least believable. What is that strangely tremulous voice Brenda Blethyn adopts for the character? Can you imagine a real police officer (never mind a DCI) speaking like that? I know realism is too much to expect, but some credibility isn't too much to ask... is it?

I could spit on Vera too Smithy. Usually love Brenda Blethyn but she is awful in that, although the whole thing is pretty bad.

Voice over moist definitely Vanessa Redgrave.
I like Very but as a Geordie, I find the accents excruciatingly incorrect. I play spit the genuine accent - they seem to think if they just call people "pet" constantly they will get away with the dodgy accents.

I've just Googled it and there were powercuts caused by working to rule at many London power stations. They started on 31 December 1962.

I remember the snow - we had been to the countryside in the middle of Ireland for Christmas and it started to snow on Boxing Day and we had a flight back to London on 27th. We had my SIL with us in our small flat as her flight had been cancelled and she came back on a later one meaning she was unable to continue her journey home. Water pipes frozen and my OH had to take his shaving gear into work for hot water! We went to see a nearby Aunt of mine who still had water.
The piles of (filthy) snow did not finally go from the streets of London till March.

I do remember the cold and the snow and trudging up the steep hill between school and home (and slithering down too!)
I don't remember power cuts.
I prefer to watch Midwives and record Vera.
Gave up on McMafia - even with James Norton!

You should-I'd read it with pleasure!

Yes, I do enjoy it but it's almost to close to home as I lived in the East End and started training in 1964. There was one episode about the parasite strongaloides and my brother in law had that.
Did part one midwifery at Brighton. Delivered 20 babies. All tremendous experience, but heart rending.
Should write a book.......

In love Vera! I watch that live then catch up on Midwives while I eat lunch the next day. The only bit of daytime TV I allow myself.

I have only watched the trailers of Vera and don't think I could stand a whole episode - that annoying voice.

Yes, each to their own. I can’t stand ruddy Vera!

Not an addiction Jane10 and certainly not to saccharine-yuk!! more memory lane though rose coloured glasses! Each to their own though!

What with McMafia and other scary/nasty programmes I think we need a bit of light-hearted relief.

Oh niggly - saccharine addiction?!

Oh Jane10 !! I've just watched it on catch up, and while I agree that it is a bit too good to be true, nevertheless I love it, became misty eyed when the poor lady died of lung cancer and her husband told her how much he loved her, thank goodness that baby survived, but worried about Trixie and her chap, hopeful for Nurse Crane and positive for the new midwife from Jamaica (can't remember her name!)
I know I'm probably a simple soul, and I like Vera well enough, but I love this prog, fake snow, power cuts?! and all!!!

All those cliche characters with their hearts of gold are bound to melt the snow with the sheer glow of their artificial goodness! Cynical? Moi? Will definitely watch Vera instead next week. Enjoy your tears ladies.

I always thought it was Vanessa Redgrave doing the voiceover, too?
I was only very young in 1963, so don’t really remember that winter - will have been kept nice and cosy indoors. However, I do remember those paraffin heaters as we had one, and so did Grandma, during the 1973/4 winter of discontent. Boy, did they smell! No central heating then, so always ice on the inside of the single glazed windows. Perhaps that’s why winters felt colder, though I’m pretty sure we had more, and deeper snow back then than now for more of the country.

The voice is Vanessa Redgrave

In an interview recently, Jenny Agutter said that the winter scenes were filmed in May. The fake snow handles like the real thing apparently. My main quibble with it, is that it's too white! As a kid living in the inner city surrounded by factories, the snow had a good coating of soot within 24 hours.