The first two reviewers say the way the BBC portrayed the East End of London is incorrect.
Although I was around in the 50s I was not brought up in the East End so cannot comment about that.
Putting this portrayal aside, although I am surprised the BBC would fall down on the historical detail, I was delighted to see that Auntie Beeb has once again commissioned another well worthwhile period drama.
SPOILER BEGINS
Call The Midwife is set in late 50s East End of London and is, as the title suggests, about a group of midwives who deal with the welfare of pregnant women and of course deliver their babies.
SPOILER ENDS
The series is based on the memoirs of Jennifer Worth who worked as a midwife in London's East End during the 50s, and beyond but who sadly died in 2011.
The cast is extremely well put together which includes the inimitable Pam Ferris who is a midwife, but also a nun, Judy Parfit, also a nun but is apparently slipping into senility and Jenny Agutter, yet another nun.
Together with these and other nuns are the midwives who share a home with the nuns.
There is some very graphic detail in the series regarding the birth of the babies which can be quite harrowing but at the same time extremely enlightening.
Jessica Raine who plays Jenny Lee is well suited to the starring role but for me the midwife I have truly fallen in love with is Chummy, played by Miranda Hart.
SPOILER BEGINS
When Chummy arrived she appeared to be accident prone and had only just scraped through her final exams.
Sister Evangelina (Pam Ferris) was Chummy's biggest critic but when the chips were down and Chummy had to deliver her very first baby on her own, which was a very difficult breech birth, she showed her true colours and Sister Evangelina had to acknowledge that Chummy was a very valuable addition to team.
One of the plots concerned Conchita Warren, played by Carolina Valdes. This is Carolina's debut on British TV. She had previously only appeared in three Spanish short films. She plays the Spanish wife of painter and decorator Len Warren played by Tim Faraday. Conchita is a Spanish Civil War veteran but cannot speak a word of English.
She has had 24 (twenty four) children and is expecting her 25th. All her children have survived and she is the epitome of motherhood. The love of each and every family member toward each other simply oozes out of the Warren household.
There is a major problem when Conchita gives birth to her 25th child and I must admit these scenes were highly poignant.
Although Carolina Valdes apparently has had a very limited TV acting career thus far she proved herself a very capable actress whilst playing the extremely difficult part of Conchita
SPOILER ENDS
All in all this drama has the potential to become an extremely popular series.
One thing that struck me was although the series is set only 54 years ago how primitive midwifery was back then, even though the National Health Service had been set up by then, but only nine years earlier.
What made up for this though is the total dedication the midwives had in their vocation and the care, and indeed love they gave to their expectant mothers and aftercare to the new born babies.
Well done again Auntie Beeb.
Although I was around in the 50s I was not brought up in the East End so cannot comment about that.
Putting this portrayal aside, although I am surprised the BBC would fall down on the historical detail, I was delighted to see that Auntie Beeb has once again commissioned another well worthwhile period drama.
SPOILER BEGINS
Call The Midwife is set in late 50s East End of London and is, as the title suggests, about a group of midwives who deal with the welfare of pregnant women and of course deliver their babies.
SPOILER ENDS
The series is based on the memoirs of Jennifer Worth who worked as a midwife in London's East End during the 50s, and beyond but who sadly died in 2011.
The cast is extremely well put together which includes the inimitable Pam Ferris who is a midwife, but also a nun, Judy Parfit, also a nun but is apparently slipping into senility and Jenny Agutter, yet another nun.
Together with these and other nuns are the midwives who share a home with the nuns.
There is some very graphic detail in the series regarding the birth of the babies which can be quite harrowing but at the same time extremely enlightening.
Jessica Raine who plays Jenny Lee is well suited to the starring role but for me the midwife I have truly fallen in love with is Chummy, played by Miranda Hart.
SPOILER BEGINS
When Chummy arrived she appeared to be accident prone and had only just scraped through her final exams.
Sister Evangelina (Pam Ferris) was Chummy's biggest critic but when the chips were down and Chummy had to deliver her very first baby on her own, which was a very difficult breech birth, she showed her true colours and Sister Evangelina had to acknowledge that Chummy was a very valuable addition to team.
One of the plots concerned Conchita Warren, played by Carolina Valdes. This is Carolina's debut on British TV. She had previously only appeared in three Spanish short films. She plays the Spanish wife of painter and decorator Len Warren played by Tim Faraday. Conchita is a Spanish Civil War veteran but cannot speak a word of English.
She has had 24 (twenty four) children and is expecting her 25th. All her children have survived and she is the epitome of motherhood. The love of each and every family member toward each other simply oozes out of the Warren household.
There is a major problem when Conchita gives birth to her 25th child and I must admit these scenes were highly poignant.
Although Carolina Valdes apparently has had a very limited TV acting career thus far she proved herself a very capable actress whilst playing the extremely difficult part of Conchita
SPOILER ENDS
All in all this drama has the potential to become an extremely popular series.
One thing that struck me was although the series is set only 54 years ago how primitive midwifery was back then, even though the National Health Service had been set up by then, but only nine years earlier.
What made up for this though is the total dedication the midwives had in their vocation and the care, and indeed love they gave to their expectant mothers and aftercare to the new born babies.
Well done again Auntie Beeb.