Call The Midwife.

ViceVersa

If you're a bit squeamish about the idea of 'assisted' childbirth, better not investigate the invention of the chainsaw, that's all I can say!

I promise not to!

MartavTaurus

My father worked in Hong Kong in the 70s It was already well developed, not the make shift shanty town the programme portrayed.
I'm not over keen on the foreign trips at Christmas, but it was good to catch up with the characters again. Timothy Turner had changed into a bit of a lad, with a posh voice!

What is this with "posh voices", do you mean here is no innit, fanks, gonna, or other unintelligible words that now pass for our English language, interspersed with Americanisms. Long may posh voices last, understandable English.

Grammaretto

Agh butterandjam!! You poor girl.
No wonder noone told me about childbirth before I had a baby.

I'm currently clearing a bookcase and have come across a book called:

The Truth about Childbirth by Anthony Luduvici
1937
One chapter heading;
Painless and pleasurable childbirth
Another;
Further conditions conflicting with normal birth.
There it goes on to blame the woman for faulty nutrition or being "senile" as in older mother
I have never seen this book before today.
Should I send it to a museum or the bin? 🙄

I'll shred it for you.
It will be my pleasure!

LadyGaGa

I agree about old films and programmes.

I have spent this afternoon watching Miss Marple ‘The Body In The Library’.

Made in 1984, I think. I have seen it so many times I feel like one of the cast, but oh, so comforting to watch stuff set in the 50’s, and you know it will all turn out ok in the end.

Great acting.

The incomparable Joan Hickson.

(Apologies for digressing from CTM)

I love all of the characters in Call the midwife. The twinkling Christmas lights etc are a type of comfort blanket and escapism. BUT this Christmas one on foreign lands was a dreadful load of tripe!!! I could have switched off before someone shouts at me I had to watch it. Blooming hell pass me the Easter eggs!

I’ve just caught up on last Nights episode- the first of the new series.
Set in 1971- referencing to name just a few items: decimalisation, Germaine Greer’s book/Womens Lib, bra burning, social care involvement, premature babies and other issues pertinent to the Order.
I thought the episode was very good and informative regarding the issues of those times.
I was a 12/13 year old then so I do recall them but having experienced them from a young teenagers perspective, the politics of the ‘whys and wherefores’ past me by- I don’t recall any of the women in my family being involved in the Feminist movement which is interesting as I found out later that my grandma had been a supporter of the Suffrage movement in her younger days.

I only watched the first episode of the Christmas special which I agree was silly.
I have read there will be no more of these Chrsitmas specials and think that's a good thing.
However, I watched the first of the regular series and loved it. The scene where they put the bras on the table was wonderful!
There aren't any other TV series like CtM- it is feminine focussed and still manages to move me. The abusive parent story I thought was very well done, and the scene where Veronica was sat on the bench with Trixie's brother was extremely touching and very believable.
Long may this very ground breaking series continue!!

I like Call the Midwife but I'm a bit confused re the time line as the recent episode suggested it was in 1970s and midwifery care was only just joining NHS. I know it's just a TV programme but I started nurse training in 1974. Finished 1977 and worked a year as a staff nurse then started midwifery training in 1979 in IOW. My brother was born in a maternity hospital in Edinburgh in 1962 so there was NHS care and hospitals then. I know it's just a TV programme but ...

I’ve been looking forward to the start of the 1970’s as I started my nursing training in 1971. I’ll be interested in how accurate it comes across.

I agree about Sister Veronica. I shed a tear for her. I spent the last 12 years of my career working alongside an order of nuns and formed a close bond with 3 of them, all of whom were unhappy with their life. One of them left after 30 years in the order and we kept in touch . She was a nurse and continued her career elsewhere and loved her new found freedom.

Another , also in her 50’s, said she’d “stick it out” as she felt too old to make a new life. But she did her best to bend their very strict rules unknown to her fellow sisters and I did my best to encourage her to do so. 😉

I didn’t watch the Christmas special but watched the first of the new series last night. 1971 I think.
Yes the social history has been interesting over the years @nd now it’s coming close to when I had my children in that period.
I understood the question of midwifery and the nhs was because the nuns were independent/church run and needed incorporating into the nhs.
Dr Turner’s acting is still particularly excruciating…. . 😖

ElaineI

I like Call the Midwife but I'm a bit confused re the time line as the recent episode suggested it was in 1970s and midwifery care was only just joining NHS. I know it's just a TV programme but I started nurse training in 1974. Finished 1977 and worked a year as a staff nurse then started midwifery training in 1979 in IOW. My brother was born in a maternity hospital in Edinburgh in 1962 so there was NHS care and hospitals then. I know it's just a TV programme but ...

It's always puzzled me somewhat so I investigated.
The nuns and the secular midwives all worked for the NHS apparently.
I'd never come across this in areas where I lived.

The TV programme is seemingly very accurate and the Sisters and Midwives worked around the East End until about 1988 according to this article:
towerhamletsslice.co.uk/poplar/call-the-midwife-real-stories/

Did I miss something or did Sister Veronica really ask Geoffrey to get her pregnant? (I have not long come out of hospital so I have anexcuse for being confused.

On the subject of burning bras- we went to a dance in our local village hall and DH came 'face' to 'face' with one of his patients who clearly only one bra and had burnt it.

Thanks for the link Allira. Interesting reading.

Love this series, nice and easy to watch. Not sure how far in years they are going up to. Think they could do with a better actor than the one who plays Dr Turner.

Dr turner is the husband of Heidi Thomas the writer of the programme, hence he is unlikely to be let go in the foreseeable future.

Not sure some of the clothes were correct for the early 70s. Enjoyed the programme though.

A number of my friends had children in the 70’s at the “Mother’s” hospital in the Hackney area . It was run by nuns working in the NHS .

I was 20 in the ‘70s and a lot of it seems a bit old fashioned to me. I don’t remember much about the women’s lib movement.

Last episode was better than the Christmas specials. Trixie is so annoying, though! Her voice is posher than ever.

Dr Turner actor is one of the lauded McGann clan, none
of whom are exceptional, imho.
I cannot watch CtM because of his embarrassingly awful
portrayal, head tipped to one side in an attitude of earnest concern.
As a birth attending doctor, he has an unlikely encyclopaedic obstetric and pediatric knowledge and massive hands.

I realise that he is married to the scriptwriter.

And isn't Sister Veronica too old to get pregnant? Thought she was late forties.

I did wonder that last night Clawdy and googled to see the age of Rebecca Gethings who plays the part. She’s 48.

Clawdy

Last episode was better than the Christmas specials. Trixie is so annoying, though! Her voice is posher than ever.

I agree. Then we have the old nun who is posher than posh and goes all round the houses to say anything. The old doll in the surgery is the same and I wish she would take her hat off!

I enjoyed the programme and felt sad for Sister Veronica (Beryl) who longed to have a child of her own. I remember when Sister Bernadette(Sheila) left the order to marry Dr Turner which would have been in the mid 1960's. At that time it would have been unusual for a Nun renouncing her vows to continue not only living in the area but working for Nonatus house too as a Midwife. Generally they were ostracised and sent away from the area.

I recall Women seeking equal rights and apparently they could not open a bank account or take out a mortgage without a Male guarantor until 1975. I must have been living in a parallel Universe because I opened a bank account in 1969 and took out a mortgage in 1971 in my own right without the need for a Male Guarantor. Perhaps I was just lucky!

The point about last night's episode which confused me was when the mother gave birth in the toilet. I don't remember the cord being cut at any point. Or did I miss that?