Call the Midwife

Call the Midwife
Created by	Heidi Thomas
Starring	Jessica Raine Miranda Hart Jenny Agutter Pam Ferris Judy Parfitt Helen George Bryony Hannah Laura Main Cliff Parisi
Narrated by	Vanessa Redgrave voice of mature Jenny
Composer	Peter Salem
Country of origin	UK
Original language	English
No. of series	1
No. of episodes	6 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Pippa Harris Heidi Thomas
Producer	Hugh Warren
Cinematography	Chris Seager
Running time	60 minutes
Production company	Neal Street Productions
Original release
Network	BBC One BBC One HD
Release	15 January 2012 (2012-01-15) – present

Call the Midwife is a BBC period drama series starring Jessica Raine, Miranda Hart, Cliff Parisi, Jenny Agutter, Pam Ferris, Judy Parfitt and Vanessa Redgrave. It was created by Heidi Thomas based on the memoirs of Jennifer Worth and set in East London in the 1950s. The first series of 6 episodes premiered on 15 January 2012. A second series of 8 episodes of the show have been commissioned and is expected to air in mid 2013.

Plot

The plot follows newly-qualified midwife Jenny Lee and the work of midwives and the nuns of Nonnatus House, a nursing convent, coping with the medical problems in a deprived area of East London in the 1950s.

Cast and characters

Main

• Jessica Raine as Jenny Lee
• Miranda Hart as Chummy Browne (Camilla Fortescue-Cholmondeley-Browne)
• Jenny Agutter as Sister Julienne
• Pam Ferris as Sister Evangelina
• Judy Parfitt as Sister Monica Joan
• Helen George as Trixie Franklin
• Bryony Hannah as Cynthia Miller
• Laura Main as Sister Bernadette
• Cliff Parisi as Fred

Recurring

• Stephen McGann as Dr Turner
• Ben Caplan as PC Peter Noakes
• George Rainsford as Jimmy
• Amy McAllister as Mary

Episodes

Series 1 (2012)

№	#	Title	Directed by	Written By	Original air date	UK viewers (million)
1	1	"Concussed, Nonplussed"	Philippa Lowthorpe	Heidi Thomas	15 January 2012 (2012-01-15)	9.83
This opening episode sees newly qualified midwife Jenny Lee arriving at Nonnatus House. Believing she has been sent to a small private hospital, Jenny is initially surprised to find herself at a convent. Via Jenny, we are introduced to the series world and its regular characters – the Sisters (Julienne, Evangelina, Bernadette and Monica Joan), her nursing colleagues Trixie and Cynthia, and the jovial handyman Fred. Initially daunted by her surroundings, which are so different to anything she has witnessed previously, Jenny gradually begins to find her feet. The story of the week focuses on the first case Jenny is allowed to handle alone – the care of Mrs Conchita Warren, during her 22nd pregnancy. Conchita is married to Len Warren, an East End painter and decorator who fought in the Spanish Civil War. He brought Conchita home with him after hostilities ceased – a living, breathing and very beautiful souvenir. Conchita speaks no English, as according to Len there has never been any need, and spends her days caring for her enormous family. Her case appears to be routine, but when freezing smog descends on London events take a turn for the worse. Conchita slips, falls and goes into labour at 30 weeks gestation – suffering from severe concussion. Jenny, alone in the house with Conchita and her husband, must draw on all her reserves of skill and courage if Conchita and her premature child are to survive. This episode also features Pearl, whose indomitable spirit rises above a dose of venereal disease; and Muriel, whose home delivery shows us the best and worst that the system has to offer.
2	2	"The Browne Incident"	Philippa Lowthorpe	Heidi Thomas	22 January 2012 (2012-01-22)	10.47
As the nuns and nurses go about their duties, Nonnatus House gains a new resident, Chummy, a welcome pair of hands to help with the busy caseload. Sister Evangelina, in a case of inverted snobbery, has little patience with her or with her passionate and somewhat lofty desire to become a missionary. Meanwhile, Jenny has a chance late-night encounter with Mary, a young Irish girl aged 15. She is heavily pregnant and reveals that she ran away from an abusive home life in rural Ireland and made her way to London. She is unwilling to give away many details of her current situation. Mary is desperate and terrified, and eventually Jenny discovers the full, horrific details of the young girl's plight. Destitute upon arrival in London, Mary was "taken in" by Zakir, the owner of an all-night cafe in the notorious Cable Street area. It transpired that the cafe was in fact a brothel, and Mary was forced into prostitution almost immediately. Her suffering has been extreme, but in the tough world of the criminal East End, this is far from unusual. Sister Julienne arranges for Mary to be helped by a religious charity, but sadly it is not to be the end of her tragic story. Chummy makes great efforts to settle in, but nerves and a keenness to please almost overwhelm her, and she makes slow progress. A particular obstacle is her inability to ride a bike, and although Jenny, Trixie and Cynthia struggle to teach her, their efforts are hampered by catcalling and jeering from local children. Her initial attempts to learn end in a spectacular collision between the three midwives and a policeman, PC Noakes. Chummy's future at Nonnatus House hangs in the balance, and she soon finds herself out of her depth.
3	3	"Maybe a Baby"	Philippa Lowthorpe	Jack Williams	29 January 2012 (2012-01-29)	10.66
Jenny is placed on the district nursing roster for a few weeks, to extend her experience of community practice. Her first patient is a gentle old soldier, Joe, who is suffering from appalling leg ulcers. In his eighties and almost blind, Joe is effectively confined to his one-roomed tenement flat and enjoys Jenny's visits. Although not naturally chatty, Jenny appreciates his stories, and a tentative friendship forms. The story of their emerging friendship is interwoven with that of Ted, who becomes a father rather late in life. His wife, Winnie, is in her forties, and had thought her days of nappies and babies were well behind her. They have only recently married. For Ted, a childless widower in his sixties, it was a stunningly sweet and unexpected romance; for Winnie, it was a pragmatic step that secured her future. The pregnancy is a surprise to them both and Ted, who never imagined he would be a father, is overjoyed, and throws his heart and soul into the preparations. Winnie, sadly, seems less than thrilled. Ted is exceptionally solicitous and he enthusiastically accompanies Winnie to her clinic visits, and takes the lead in sorting out the pram and the layette. Despite her growing fondness for Joe, Jenny remains revolted by the filthy condition of his flat and even feels unable to accept a cup of tea from him, so unclean are his cups. Their friendship is saved – and indeed cemented – when he produces a bottle of sherry. As the buildings where Joe lives in come up for being condemned, there is talk of moving him into an old people's hospital. Saddened by this development, Joe focuses all his energy on a forthcoming regimental reunion – he has been unable to attend for many years due to mobility problems, but Jenny has a plan.
4	4	"Baby Snatcher"	Jamie Payne	Esther Wilson	5 February 2012 (2012-02-05)	10.89
The episode commences with Jenny delivering a little girl, Gillian, to Shirley Redmond. As Shirley's previous baby was stillborn, Sister Evangelina is also in attendance. Jenny has now been working in the East End for some time, and feels privileged to share such a precious part of these women's lives. Soon after Shirley gives birth, a bombshell drops; the newborn baby has been snatched from her pram, outside the Redmond household. A full-scale search is launched, and the entire community becomes involved in the quest to reunite the desperate parents with their child. Cynthia, meanwhile, finds herself involved in an equally traumatic situation as she witnesses true love and heartbreak when she meets David and Margaret during their time of need. A middle-aged headmaster, David and his young musician wife Margaret are expecting their firstborn when she suffers from eclampsia. It is a heart wrenching case, and Cynthia observes the strength of soul mates and tragedy of loss. Just as the trail appears to have gone cold with Shirley's baby, she is found. She was taken by Mary, the Irish girl whom Jenny had befriended previously. Mary has been unable to resolve the grief she felt after losing her own child. The police want to prosecute Mary but, urged by Jenny, Sister Julienne and Sister Evangelina intervene and ask for leniency on Mary's behalf.
5	5	"We Are Family"	Jamie Payne	Harriet Warner	12 February 2012 (2012-02-12)	10.42
Frank, the brother of Peggy, the cleaner at Nonnatus House, is diagnosed with cancer. Jenny and the nuns are called upon to provide him with care, and in doing so Jenny comes to know the siblings better, learning of their upbringing in a workhouse and the profound effect it has had on their relationship. As Jenny tends to Frank, the other residents of Nonnatus House find themselves involved in helping Fred with his latest money-making venture – a pig called Evie. Fred's plan had been to make his fortune from bacon, but this is scuppered when they realise the pig is pregnant. The nuns and nurses help out Fred and Evie in the manner they know best.
6	6	"The Adventures of Noakes and Browne"	Jamie Payne	Heidi Thomas	19 February 2012 (2012-02-19)	9.24 (Overnight)
Sister Monica Joan is found wandering near the docks, and returned to Nonnatus House by the police. Her adventure takes its toll on her health and she succumbs to pneumonia. When she eventually recovers, she sails forth back into the community, only to find herself in trouble with the law when she is accused of theft. As Sister Monica Joan's case progresses to trial, the Nonnatus House community fear that the old nun could find herself going to jail. Already concerned about Sister Monica Joan, Chummy has further worries when her mother decides to make a trip to inspect her new 'beau'. The visit is not a success, and Chummy suffers a crisis of confidence and breaks off her relationship with PC Noakes. Jenny and the other midwives pull together to convince her she is making a mistake.They do marry in the end.

Series 2 (2013)

A second series of BBC One's Call the Midwife has been commissioned after the drama's opening episode attracted nearly 10 million viewers with the second episode holding up with an average of 8.6 million viewers.

"Call the Midwife... manages to be both hard-hitting and emotional, gritty and warm," said BBC One controller Danny Cohen.

"I am already looking forward to the second series."

The second series is expected to be filmed in late 2012 and is expected to air in Mid 2013.

Reception

A second series of Call the Midwife was immediately commissioned after the drama's opening episode attracted an audience of nearly 10 million viewers. The second episode increased its audience to 10.47 million, while the third continued the climb to 10.66. Episode 4's rating of 10.89 million overtook 2010 ITV hit Downton Abbey as the largest first series audience for original drama on British television in recent years.

"Call the Midwife... manages to be both hard-hitting and emotional, gritty and warm" said BBC One controller Danny Cohen. "I am already looking forward to the second series."

Production notes

The ship in the opening titles is the Shaw Saville liner Dominion Monarch in dry dock at the King George V Dock and the road is Saville Road, Silvertown, East London.

A lot of the exterior scenes are shot at the Chatham Historic Dockyard.

Writer Heidi Thomas promised Jennifer Worth before her death that no other writer would be allowed to pen the authorial voiceovers at the beginning and end of each episode, performed in the programme by Vanessa Redgrave.

DVD

Series one will be released on a region 2 two disc set on 12 March 2012.

External links

• Call the Midwife at BBC Online
• Call the Midwife at IMDb