British society through the lens of Call the Midwife
Call the Midwife is a British historical drama television series that premiered in 2012. It follows the lives of a group of midwives working in London’s East End from the late 1950s to the early 1970s. Created by Heidi Thomas, the series is based on the memoirs of Jennifer Worth, a midwife who worked with the Community of St John the Divine, an Anglican medical order.
The series has been well received by audiences and critics, becoming one of BBC One’s most successful new series since 2001. To date, Call the Midwife has aired 14 seasons, with a total of 123 episodes, with Christmas specials airing annually since 2012.
Call the Midwife
The plot follows newly qualified midwife Jenny Lee, as well as the work of midwives and the nuns of Nonnatus House, a nursing convent and part of an Anglican religious order, coping with the medical problems in the deprived Poplar district of London’s desperately poor East End in the 1950s. The Sisters and midwives carry out many nursing duties across the community. However, with between 80 and 100 babies being born each month in Poplar alone, the primary work is to help bring safe childbirth to women in the area and to look after their countless newborns.
In the first series, which is set in early 1957, the main themes include the “Baby Boom”, issues of poverty in the East end and post-war immigration.
The second series, set in 1958, shows the introduction of gas and air as a form of pain relief, unexploded ordnance, an outbreak of tuberculosis, a baby born with spina bifida and ends with the condemning of the Nonnatus House building.
The third series, set in 1959, depicts cystic fibrosis, polio, caring for the terminally ill and midwifery in a prison context.
In the fourth series, set in 1960, topics covered include the Child Migrants Programme, the threat of nuclear warfare (including emergency response guidelines issued by local Civil Defence Corps), LGBT rights, and syphilis among *** workers.
The fifth series is set in 1961 and shows a patient with typhoid, the effects of thalidomide, the introduction of the contraceptive pill and the impact of strokes.
Call the Midwife
The sixth series is set in 1962 and touches on domestic violence, an explosion at the local docks, interracial marriage, female genital mutilation, mental health, and introduces Reggie, a recurring character who has Down syndrome.
The seventh series, set in 1963, introduces the first major character of colour, Nurse Lucille Anderson, as well as dementia, racial abuse, Huntington’s disease, leprosy and meningitis featuring in storylines.
The eighth series, set in 1964, covers the topic of abortion (which was not legalised until 1967), sickle cell disease, babies born with cleft lip and cleft palate and people.
The ninth series, set in 1965, addresses diphtheria, a blind expectant mother and the continued role and relevance of Nonnatus House in the community.
The tenth series, set in 1966, compares the practice at Nonnatus House with the private Lady Emily Clinic in Mayfair, PKU, diabetes and the controversy of abortion on the eve of legalisation.
The eleventh series, set in 1967, explores addiction and neonatal withdrawal, the 1960s housing crisis, a scabies epidemic, gastroschisis and a train crash next to Nonnatus House.
The twelfth series, set in 1968, discusses political discourse about immigration, the development of the ventouse, schizophrenia, haemophilia, and hepatitis.
The thirteenth series, set in 1969, introduces fertility drugs and higher order multiple birth, cerebral palsy, porphyria, tetanus, hip dysplasia, retinoblastoma, and the Apollo 11 moon landing.
Christmas special episodes also explore the conditions in a mission in South Africa, the Outer Hebrides and the order orphanage.
With its combination of excellent acting, profound script and authentic historical setting, Call the Midwife has made a strong impression on audiences and continues to be one of the most watched British TV series.
