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Call the Midwife

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This article is about the TV adaptation. For the book, see Call the Midwife (book).

Call the Midwife
Alt=Series titles over a docklands terrace street
Created byHeidi Thomas
Starring
Narrated byVanessa Redgrave
(voice of mature Jenny)
ComposerPeter Salem
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series2
No. of episodes15 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersPippa Harris
Heidi Thomas
ProducerHugh Warren
CinematographyChris Seager
Running time60 minutes
Production companyNeal Street Productions
Original release
NetworkBBC One
BBC One HD
Release15 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 and Judy Parfitt. 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 six episodes premiered in the UK on 15 January 2012. The series is produced by Neal Street Productions, a production company founded and owned by the film director and producer Sam Mendes, Call the Midwife Executive Producer Pippa Harris and Caro Newling. Call the Midwife achieved very high ratings in its first series, making it the most successful new drama series on BBC One since 2001.[1] A second series of eight episodes aired in the UK in early 2013.[2][3] Ratings remained exceptionally high, achieving a consolidated series average of 10.47 million viewers.[4]

The autumn 2012 PBS broadcast of the first series of Call the Midwife in the United States received wide critical acclaim, earning a Metacritic score of 8.0. The Wall Street Journal declared that "this immensely absorbing drama is worth any trouble it takes to catch up with its singular pleasures",[5] while The Washington Post stated that "the cast is marvellous, the gritty, post-war set pieces are meticulously recreated".[6] TV Guide called the series "a delight to watch",[7] while the San Francisco Chronicle described it as "sentimental, poignant and often heartbreaking".[8]

On 11 February 2013, BBC Controller for Drama Ben Stephenson announced that he had commissioned a 2013 Christmas special, and a third series of eight episodes to air in 2014.[9]

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 the deprived Poplar district of East London 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.

Cast and characters

Main

Nurse Jenny Lee arrives at Nonnatus House in 1957, at the age of 22, completely unaware of the world she is about to enter. Believing she's accepted a job with a small private hospital, it comes as somewhat of a surprise to Jenny to find she's moving into a convent. Furthermore, the deprivation of the East End is a huge culture shock for the young woman who has enjoyed a privileged upbringing in the Home Counties, and spent time in Paris before training as a nurse. However, although initially shocked by the conditions in which her patients live, Jenny comes to accept the material limitations of the world in which she works, and to love the people who must live there. She went to London to escape her forbidden love to married man, Gerald. Her best friend Jimmy arrives and although he makes her feel more at ease he also makes things more complicated by revealing that he's in love with her. She turns him down and they remain friends. She becomes good friends with all of her fellow colleagues and patients and always tries to help those around her. Towards the end of season 2 she starts dating Alec, a friend of Jimmy's.

  • Miranda Hart as Nurse "Chummy" Browne (Camilla Fortescue-Cholmeley-Browne), later "Chummy" Noakes.

Camilla Cholmeley-Browne, otherwise known as Chummy, is the daughter of a prominent family who has found her way into nursing and midwifery by a circuitous route. Eternally good-humoured and monumentally kind, Chummy is crippled by lack of self-confidence. Her great height and physical clumsiness plays its part, but a loveless childhood spent in boarding schools has made the greater impact. An adept midwife, she is hampered by acute shyness and - perhaps more crucially – a complete inability to ride a bike. Chummy soon wins the hearts of her colleagues, but her struggle for self-belief always threatens to capsize her. By the end of season 1 after a string of dates she marries PC Peter Noakes. In season 2 Chummy applies for a place as a CMS missionary in Sierra Leone, Africa. She gets accepted, and she and Peter move to Africa for six months. Upon their return Chummy reveals that she is pregnant, much to the delight of her fellow nurses. In the final episode Chummy goes into labour, and despite complications she gives birth to a son, Fred. Chummy once stated that she had never been happier than when she was at Nonnatus House.

Sister Julienne is the chief nun and midwife at Nonnatus House. Deeply religious, she is also profoundly practical and confers dignity on her patients through her sensitive, non-judgmental approach. She is often called upon to mediate between her fellow sisters when they quarrel - this is an almost exclusively female world, and her tact and gentleness are essential to its happiness. Sister Julienne is the wisest midwife and always offers comfort and tries to help the others, mostly Jenny, Jane and Sister Bernadette.

Sister Evangelina is the only one of the sisters who comes from the same tough, uncompromising background as the community they serve. Physically vigorous, she has a robust sense of humour. Her energy and drive make her extraordinarily effective at her job. However, she does not suffer fools gladly, and her blunt speech often offends. She has a particularly contentious relationship with the aristocratic Sister Monica Joan, who often provokes her to breaking point.

Born into a leading titled family, Sister Monica Joan was one of the first women in Britain to qualify as a midwife. In the closing years of the 19th century, this was seen as a radical act. Her additional decision to become a nun scandalised her relatives, who never came to terms with her life choices. She dedicated her entire adult life to providing midwifery services to the poor of the East End. Now in her 90s, Sister Monica Joan has retired from practice, but lives full-time at Nonnatus House, cared for by her fellow sisters. She has an eccentric, mercurial personality, and is obsessed with cake, astrology and knitting, in no particular order. She has a very different nature from Sister Evangelina's, and misses no opportunity to bait her. It is never entirely clear how much of Sister Monica Joan's eccentricity is due to the frailty of age, or (as Jenny suspects) sheer wilful naughtiness.

Nurse Trixie Franklin is a bright, glamorous girl in her mid-twenties who is already living and working at Nonnatus House when Jenny arrives. All fully fashioned nylons and lush red lipstick with platinum-blonde hair. Trixie loves jazz and dancing, smokes Sobranie cigarettes and is a bit of a flirt. She has a much more outgoing disposition than Jenny, but the two share the sense of adventure in their work and become firm pals. Trixie loves nothing more than gossiping with her fellow colleagues and is quite nosy when it comes to other people's business. She occasionally comes across as a bit rude but she means no harm by it. When it comes to her friends she takes great pleasure in teasing them about what is going on in their lives.

Nurse Cynthia Miller, like Trixie, is also a resident at Nonnatus House when Jenny appears. Caring, stoical, and intelligent, she finds her midwifery work both challenging and rewarding, a highly desirable alternative to the dull domesticity that would otherwise be her only option. Quiet and sensitive, and also in her early twenties, Cynthia becomes Jenny's confidante and lifelong friend. Cynthia is the most sensitive of the young midwives and takes some of her patients' stories quite personally, and gets very emotionally involved. In series 2, when a child she delivers dies, Cynthia nearly has a breakdown but recovers with the help of Sister Julienne.

Sister Bernadette is still in her early 30s - the closest in age to Jenny and the other secular midwives. She is the most educated of the nuns and is always giving the young nurses advice and teaching them lessons. A consummate professional, she has a fresh, uncomplicated approach to her work that means she connects well with Jenny and her other younger colleagues. In series 2, her connections with the secular become a challenge to her life and vocation. In the final episode of season 2, Bernadette becomes engaged to Dr. Patrick Turner.

Jane is one of the nurses at Nonnatus house. We first meet her when she arrives to fill in for Chummy whilst she is in Africa. Jane was very shy and didn't talk unless it was necessary. We later find out the reason for her being shy: her parents sent her to an asylum when she was young, leaving her with no self-esteem. Throughout the series she grows in confidence and makes friends with her fellow nurses. She also finds love in the shape of Reverend Thornton Applebee-Thornton.

Recurring

Fred is the handyman at Nonnatus house. He is friends with all of the midwives and often gives them help and advice. He's always got a new money making scheme under his belt but none of them are ever much good. He is dad to Dolly and grandfather to Anthony and Samantha.

Patrick is the resident doctor in Poplar. He works closely with the midwives helping at clinics, deliveries and at the birthing hospital. He is a widower and father to Timothy. In season 2 he becomes engaged to Bernadette.

  • Ben Caplan as PC Peter Noakes

Peter is a Police Constable in Poplar. We first meet him in season 1 when he takes a shine to Chummy. Throughout the series they go on a string of dates and end up marrying in the final episode. In series 2 he and Chummy have a baby, Fred.

  • George Rainsford as James "Jimmy" Wilson

Jimmy is an old friend of Jenny's. In season 1 Jimmy is madly in love with Jenny, even though she is in love with somebody else. Jimmy soon realizes this and leaves her be. In series 2 however the tables are turned, when Jimmy returns having got a job on the council. Jenny's head is instantly turned, but unfortunately she discovers that Jimmy is engaged to Francine, whom Jenny met at the antenatal clinic. Jimmy and Francine then marry and have a baby, Caroline.

  • Max Macmillan as Timothy Turner

Timothy is the son of Dr. Patrick Turner. He is a bright, inquisitive young boy who always manages to get himself into a bit of trouble. His mother died when he was young so he desperately craves the attention of his father. He is however quite independent and can look after himself. He develops a close relationship with Sister Bernadette, who later gets engaged to his father.

Episodes

For a full list of episodes, see List of Call the Midwife episodes.

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.[10]

In the United States, the first series transmission on PBS drew an average household audience rating of 2.1, translating into 3.0 million viewers — 50 percent above PBS' primetime average for the 2011–12 season.[11]

The second series in the UK opened with a record overnight audience of 9.3 million viewers,[12] going on to achieve a consolidated series average of 10.47 million viewers.[13] This was almost two million above the slot average, and by some distance the most popular UK drama in every week of transmission.[14] When viewing figures from BBC's iPlayer video streaming service and a narrative repeat were included as part of the BBC Live Plus 7 metric,[15] the total number of viewers per week was found to be almost 12 million.[16]

The critical reception for series 2 has praised the programme's sharp blend of prime-time period charm and hard-hitting social commentary. Caitlin Moran in The Times called this "an iron hand in a velvet glove",[17] while Allison Pearson in The Daily Telegraph lauded its ability to "tickle the middle of the brow while touching the most anguished parts of the human condition".[18] In particular, commentators have noted the attention given to female social issues in the drama's post-war, pre-pill setting. Alison Graham in the Radio Times dubbed Call the Midwife "a magnificently subversive drama" and "the torchbearer of feminism on television," [19] while Caitlin Moran claimed the series encapsulated "how unbelievably terrifying, dreary and vile it was to be a working-class woman 60 years ago."[20]

International distribution

In May 2012, BBC Worldwide and the American Public Broadcasting Service PBS announced that the first series of Call the Midwife would premiere in the United States on 30 September 2012.[21] BBC Worldwide has also sold the series to SVT (Sweden); NRK (Norway); RÚV (Iceland); Yle (Finland); AXN White (Spain); ERT (Greece);[22][23] ABC in Australia and TVNZ in New Zealand, where its debut recorded a 35% share of the audience – 20% above average. In July 2012 BBC Worldwide announced it has sold the worldwide Video On Demand rights of the series to Netflix. According to BBC Worldwide America executive vice-president of sales and co-productions Matt Forde, BBC expects to sign another 13 to 15 deals for Call the Midwife with other international download-to-own and VoD services by the end of 2012.

The second series of Call the Midwife has been sold to PBS for transmission from 31 March 2013.[24]

In February 2013, BBC Worldwide reported that Call the Midwife had been sold in over one hundred global territories,[25] with global sales contributing to the UK's position as the second largest TV exporter behind the United States.[26]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Recipient Result
2012 BAFTA TV Awards Best Costume Design Amy Roberts Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Miranda Hart Nominated
Prix Europa Best Episode of a TV Fiction Series or Serial Call The Midwife Nominated
TV Fiction Call The Midwife Nominated
2013 TV Choice Awards, UK Best Actress Miranda Hart Won
Best New Drama Call The Midwife Won
National Television Awards Drama Performance: Female Miranda Hart Won
TV and Radio Industries Club Award Drama Programme of the Year Call The Midwife Won
Royal Television Society Best Drama Series Call The Midwife Nominated

Production notes

The ship in the opening titles is the Shaw Savill liner QSMV Dominion Monarch in dry dock at the King George V Dock and the road is Savill Road, Silvertown, East London.[27][28]

Many of the exterior scenes are shot at the Chatham Historic Dockyard.

DVD

The first series was released in a Region 2, two disc set on 12 March 2012.[29] Series 2 is scheduled for release on April 1 in UK (region 2) [30] with a collectors edition, Call the Midwife Collection, containing Series 1, 2 and the 2012 Christmas Special, released on the same date.[31]

In Australia (region 4), ABC released the DVD of series 1 on 10 October 2012, shortly after it finished airing on ABC1.

In the United States, the first series was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 6 November 2012. Series 2 is scheduled for release on DVD and Blu-Ray on June 18, 2013.[32]

References

  1. ^ "Call the Midwife series ends on ratings high". BBC News. 20 February 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
  2. ^ "BBC News - Call the Midwife set to return for a second series". BBC Online. 23 January 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
  3. ^ Sweney, Mark (23 January 2012). "BBC Calls the Midwife for a second series". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
  4. ^ "Top 30 Programmes - BARB". BARB. 21 March 2013. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
  5. ^ "The Labor-Intensive Life". 29 October 2012. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
  6. ^ "'Call the Midwife': Keep calm and puuush". 29 October 2012. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
  7. ^ "Weekend TV: Homeland, Dexter, PBS' Midwife, Fringe, More". 29 October 2012. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
  8. ^ "'Call the Midwife' review: Heartwarming". 29 October 2012. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
  9. ^ "'BBC Controller of Drama, Ben Stephenson, sets out his vision for drama on the BBC and announces new commissions'". 11 February 2013. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  10. ^ Gould, Lara (20 February 2012). "Midwives 1, Toffs 0: First series of Call The Midwife beats Downton as the Sunday night ratings battle turns ugly". Mail Online. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
  11. ^ "BBC AND PBS TO BRING SECOND SEASON OF CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED DRAMA "CALL THE MIDWIFE" TO THE U.S." Retrieved 6 December 2012.
  12. ^ "Call the Midwife draws its biggest audience". The Guardian. 21 January 2013. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
  13. ^ "Top 30 Programmes - BARB". BARB. 21 March 2013. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
  14. ^ "Broadcast Magazine pp.2,35". 15 March 2013. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
  15. ^ "BBC Live Plus 7 metric adds iPlayer viewing to programme stats". Research. 29 November 2010. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
  16. ^ "Record number of delegates head to biggest ever BBC Worldwide Showcase in Liverpool to celebrate a significant anniversary:Notes to Editor". 12 February 2013. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  17. ^ "Caitlin Moran on TV: Call the radical feminist". The Times. 26 January 2013. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  18. ^ "Women's have-it-all fantasy often spells heartbreak". The Daily Telegraph. 13 March 2013. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  19. ^ "Call the Midwife is the torchbearer of feminism on television". Radio Times. 24 February 2013. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  20. ^ "Caitlin Moran on TV: Call the radical feminist". The Times. 26 January 2013. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  21. ^ "BBC WORLDWIDE and PBS Sign Deal to Bring Critically Acclaimed Show to the US". 15 May 2012. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
  22. ^ "Πρόγραμμα Τηλεόρασης" (in Greek). ERT online. Retrieved 2013-04-10. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  23. ^ "Επειγόντως τη μαμή" (in Greek). ERT online. Retrieved 2012-11-07. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  24. ^ "BBC AND PBS TO BRING SECOND SEASON OF CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED DRAMA "CALL THE MIDWIFE" TO THE U.S." 6 December 2012. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
  25. ^ "Record number of delegates head to biggest ever BBC Worldwide Showcase in Liverpool to celebrate a significant anniversary". 12 February 2013. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
  26. ^ "British hit drama Downton Abbey leads way in TV exports". 22 March 2013. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  27. ^ Newham Recorder 1 February 2012 page 24
  28. ^ "QSMV Dominion Monarch". Retrieved 6 March 2012.
  29. ^ "Call the Midwife (DVD): Amazon.co.uk: Jessica Raine, Miranda Hart, Pam Ferris: Film & TV". Amazon.com. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
  30. ^ "Call the Midwife Series 2(DVD)". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  31. ^ "Call the Midwife Collection - Series 1-2 + Christmas Special [DVD]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  32. ^ "Call the Midwife: Season Two (2013)". Amazon.com. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
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