Is it time to stop calling the midwife?

I too was very surprised and disappointed at the Jenny Aguther character's hard judgemental reaction to Nurse Corrigan's revelation. In the late 60s I was at a very posh Anglican school and a girl in the year above me was pregnant, attended school until almost the birth, and was treated with the utmost compassion.
Do you think perhaps Sr Julienne has a past secret of her own that she still feels guilty about.....??
I find Dr. Turner and Shelagh much too sugary sweet too, but love all the other characters.
Trixie has a fabulous collection of outfits, hasn't she?

Lilypops

Dr Turner (Stephen McGann) has the same expression on his face for every event. I don’t think he is a good actor at all. Same grin , same grimace.

The actors playing Dr Turner, his wife Sheila and son Tim - none of them can act in my opinion. They are dreadful, and so sugary sweet. Or maybe it's the script - couples don't speak to each other like they do! Ditto The Buckles.

I thought the funniest thing was a couple of weeks ago when Dr Turner was dangling that skeleton to frighten the children. The most terrifying thing was his own face grimacing!!!

It was a pretty brutal episode tonight, not at all sweet or sugary. Sister Julienne did look hatchet-faced at Nurse Corrigan’s revelation (though I guessed last week there was something like that about to emerge) but I suppose the convent had been deceived and she’s in a difficult position.

Dr Turner is the husband of Heidi Thomas, the screenwriter, so I don’t suppose he’ll be going anywhere. . He was more nuanced in the early days but is now a paragon of virtue.

Re the use of cm as a measurement, it was cm when I had my first in 1975 and the baby books I had also had cm, alongside the old fingers measure. I worked in a hospital in the early 70’s and it was all metric in my work.

Google says that the UK first went metric in 1965.

I read tonight’s CTM was set in sept 1966 which is when I met dh so watched with particular interest.

.....the old midwife who seemed to have Alzheimer’s in the very first series still seems to be in it although she must surely be well over 100 now.
That made me laugh Maybee, but it also is a very good point. We started in the early fifties, or was it the late forties, and we’re now at 1968 (because that was when David Steel’s abortion law was passed) and none of them have aged a jot, in approximately twenty years! I wish I knew which face cream they’re using, I need a pot!

Lilypops
It’s only the eyebrows that change ?

Dr Turner (Stephen McGann) has the same expression on his face for every event. I don’t think he is a good actor at all. Same grin , same grimace.

It would be inter to know when they changed to centimetres.

I do know that before 1978 they were weighing babies in Kgs. I remember having to ask them to tell me DD1s birth weight in English.

I still enjoy it! As other posters have said there are plenty of other channels to watch if you’re bored with it.

I think you will find the Nonnatus House nuns were an Anglican order Grumppa based on the experiences of the Anglican sisters of the Community of St John the Divine..

It certainly wouldn’t have been centimetres back then. I think it would have been extraordinary for Sister Julienne, given her character as a devout Roman Catholic and a nun, to have reacted other than as she did.

She used to be kind and compassionate.

I was surprised at her attitude as well Callistemon maybe an explanation next week. There but for the grace of God could have been me.

MawBe

Or “ fingers” ?

Yes, fingers dilated.

I don't always watch it but did this evening.
When did Sister Julienne become so dour, unforgiving and lacking in compassion?
Has she had a brain transplant and I missed that episode?

calendargirl ha well spotted. I choked on my and I never usually see mistakes

Judy54

I still very much enjoy watching this series and the topics it covers. This week it was a child with PKU a serious disease where the person has to much protein in their body. It was a surprise to me that this was known about in the 1960's. Our niece has PKU and cannot eat eggs, meat and dairy products, her diet is basically Vegan. Fine when she was a young child and her Mum could control what she was able to eat, more complex now she is a Teenager and wants to go to places like McDonalds with her friends and try different foods. Although she know that this is serious to her health she has become quite rebellious about having her life restricted by food. I really feel for her.

My GD has PKU. It was good to see it discussed. I’ve had quite a few comments from friends and cousins etc who hadn’t quite realised what it was. My GD is 2 and very healthy and happy. Crossing fingers they improve treatments by the time she’s in her teens.

Or “ fingers” ?

Being picky, back in 1967, if that’s when tonight’s episode was set, would the midwife be saying ‘8 centimetres dilated?’

Would it not be inches back then?

I still very much enjoy watching this series and the topics it covers. This week it was a child with PKU a serious disease where the person has to much protein in their body. It was a surprise to me that this was known about in the 1960's. Our niece has PKU and cannot eat eggs, meat and dairy products, her diet is basically Vegan. Fine when she was a young child and her Mum could control what she was able to eat, more complex now she is a Teenager and wants to go to places like McDonalds with her friends and try different foods. Although she know that this is serious to her health she has become quite rebellious about having her life restricted by food. I really feel for her.

It's past its best, but still one of the most enjoyable programmes on TV nowadays. I think the death of Barbara signalled the end of the glory days of CTM, but all long running series peak and decline a bit.

This series does feel slightly off, but that's probably due to the limitations of covid restrictions.

We did see the live show of Mrs Browns Boys and it was brilliant. Pure pantomime. I rarely watch it on tv though.

Mrs Brown was ok for the first series but haven’t watched it since.

I am still enjoying all the various characters in Call the Midwife. Sad at times but not threatening in any way. Reminds me of calmer times.

Last nights reminded me of when my SIL got pregnant at 17 and all the fuss and attempts at secrecy by her Mum.

The neighbours opinions seemed of vital concern but nowadays we struggle to remember the names of the immediate neighbours.

My brother and sil have had a few ups and downs but are still happily together.

I have watched it with my mother who keeps saying "That's not how it was"!
I do find that sometimes it has been washed over with a politically correct brush rather than reflecting the reality of the time.

I don’t actually watch it now. Not that I don’t like it but, when I do accidentally hit upon it when channel hopping, the sad bits just make me unbearably sad and I stay sad for ages. And the very old midwife who seemed to have Alzheimer’s in the very first series still seems to be in it although she must surely be well over 100 now. I do think it shows us how grateful we should be for our wonderful NHS though. I do wish the lady who wrote the original book had lived long enough to see how successful it had been.