Call the Midwife

Call the Midwife is a BBC period drama series about a group of nurse midwives working in the East End of London in the late 1950s and 1960s. It stars Jessica Raine, Miranda Hart, Helen George, Bryony Hannah, Laura Main, Jenny Agutter, Pam Ferris, Judy Parfitt, Cliff Parisi, Stephen McGann, Ben Caplan, Emerald Fennell, Victoria Yeates, Jack Ashton, Linda Bassett, Charlotte Ritchie, Kate Lamb, Jennifer Kirby, Annabelle Apsion and Leonie Elliott. 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. The first series, set in 1957, premiered in the UK on 15 January 2012.

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

Call the Midwife
Created byHeidi Thomas
Based onMemoirs of Jennifer Worth
Starring
Narrated byVanessa Redgrave, as older Jenny
Composer(s)
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original language(s)English
No. of series9
No. of episodes78 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)
  • Pippa Harris
  • Heidi Thomas
Producer(s)Annie Tricklebank
Production location(s)Poplar, London
CinematographyChris Seager
Running time60–90 minutes
Production company(s)Neal Street Productions
DistributorAll3Media
Release
Original networkPBS BBC One
Picture format16:9 1080i
Audio formatStereo
Original release15 January 2012 (2012-01-15) –
present
External links
Website

The series was created by Heidi Thomas, originally based on the memoirs of Jennifer Worth who worked with the Community of St. John the Divine, an Anglican religious order, at their convent in the East End in London. The order was founded as a nursing order in 1849. The show has extended beyond the memoirs to include new, historically sourced material.[1] For the most part it depicts the day-to-day lives of the midwives and those in their local neighbourhood of Poplar, with certain historical events of the era having a direct or indirect effect on the characters and storylines.

The first series, set in early 1957, tackles the "Baby Boom", issues of poverty and post-war immigration. The second series (set in 1958) shows us the introduction of gas and air as a form of pain relief and unexploded ordnance. The third series, which includes several changes to the set and cast, depicts cystic fibrosis, caring for the terminally ill and midwifery in a prison context. The Child Migrants Programme and the threat of nuclear warfare (including emergency response guidelines issued by local Civil Defence Corps) are depicted in the fourth series, and the effects of thalidomide as well as the introduction of the contraceptive pill are shown in the fifth series. The sixth series touches upon domestic violence, an explosion at the local docks and interracial marriage. The seventh series introduces the first major character of colour, Nurse Lucille Anderson. Dementia, racial abuse and meningitis feature in storylines. The eighth series, set in 1964, covers the topic of abortion (which was not legalised until 1967), with episodes 1, 4, 7 and 8 all featuring abortion as a key part of the episode.

Call the Midwife achieved very high ratings in its first series, making it the most successful new drama series on BBC One since 2001.[2] Since then, eight more series of eight episodes each have aired year-on-year, along with an annual Christmas special broadcast every Christmas Day since 2012. It is also broadcast in the United States on the PBS network, with the first series starting on 30 September 2012.[3]

In December 2015, the Director-General of the BBC Tony Hall announced the show had been commissioned for a 2016 Christmas special and a sixth series of another eight episodes to be broadcast in early 2017, taking the characters and plot into 1962.[4] In March 2019, the BBC announced it had commissioned two further series and Christmas specials, through to an eleventh series in 2022, moving the plot into the late sixties.

Critical reception for the show (in both the UK and the US) has been mostly positive, and the series has won numerous awards and nominations since its original broadcast.[5] The show has also been praised for tackling a variety of topical subjects and contemporary social, cultural and economic issues, including nationalised healthcare, barrenness, teen pregnancy, adoption, the importance of local community, miscarriage and stillbirths, abortion and unwanted pregnancies, birth defects, poverty, common illnesses, epidemic disease, prostitution, incest, religion and faith, racism and prejudice, same-sex attraction and female genital mutilation. Some aspects of love—maternal, paternal, filial, fraternal, sisterly, romantic, or the love of friends—is explored in every episode.

Plot

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.

Cast and characters
See also: List of Call the Midwife characters

Call the Midwife is based on the memoirs of Jennifer Worth, featuring narration – and an appearance in the 2014 Christmas Special – by Vanessa Redgrave as an older Jenny.

Episodes
Main article: List of Call the Midwife episodes
SeriesEpisodesOriginally airedAve. UK viewers
(millions)
First airedLast aired
1615 January 2012 (2012-01-15)19 February 2012 (2012-02-19)10.61
28 (+1)25 December 2012 (special)
20 January 2013 (2013-01-20)		10 March 2013 (2013-03-10)10.47
38 (+1)25 December 2013 (special)
19 January 2014 (2014-01-19)		9 March 2014 (2014-03-09)10.54
48 (+1)25 December 2014 (special)
18 January 2015 (2015-01-18)		8 March 2015 (2015-03-08)10.41
58 (+1)25 December 2015 (special)
17 January 2016 (2016-01-17)		6 March 2016 (2016-03-06)9.95
68 (+1)25 December 2016 (special)
22 January 2017 (2017-01-22)		12 March 2017 (2017-03-12)10.33
78 (+1)25 December 2017 (special)
21 January 2018 (2018-01-21)		11 March 2018 (2018-03-11)9.26
88 (+1)25 December 2018 (special)
13 January 2019 (2019-01-13)		3 March 2019 (2019-03-03)9.04
98 (+1)25 December 2019 (special)
5 January 2020 (2020-01-05)		23 February 2020 (2020-02-23)8.34

Production

The ship in the opening titles is the Shaw, Savill & Albion Line liner QSMV Dominion Monarch in dry dock at the King George V Dock and the road is Saville Road, Silvertown, east London.[6][7] Many of the exterior scenes are shot at The Historic Dockyard Chatham standing in for East London streets and buildings.[8]

On 11 February 2013, Ben Stephenson, BBC Controller for Drama, announced that he had commissioned a 2013 Christmas special, and a third series of eight episodes to be broadcast in 2014.[9] The fourth series aired in the US in 2015, finishing its eight-episode run on 17 May.[10] A Christmas special aired in 2015 as well.

A fifth series was commissioned for 2016, shortly after series four filming was completed.[11] A sixth series was commissioned, which included a 2016 Christmas episode set in South Africa.[12] On 23 November 2016, the BBC announced a three-year deal with Neal Street Productions, commissioning a seventh, eighth, and ninth series, each with a Christmas special.[13] On 4 March 2019, the BBC announced it had commissioned two further series and Christmas specials, through to an eleventh series in 2022, moving the plot into the late-sixties.[14][15]

Release

Broadcast

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.[16] BBC Worldwide has also sold the programme to SVT (Sweden); NRK (Norway); RÚV (Iceland); Yle (Finland); AXN White (Spain; Portugal); ERT (Greece);[17][18] 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 global Video on Demand rights of the programme 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[19] and to SVT (Sweden) for transmission from 19 May 2013.[20] In February 2013, BBC Worldwide reported that Call the Midwife had been sold in over one hundred global territories,[21] with global sales contributing to the UK's position as the second largest TV exporter behind the United States.[22] In February 2017, it was reported that the BBC had exported Call the Midwife to 237 global territories.[23]

A second series of eight episodes aired in the UK in early 2013.[24][25] The series achieved a consolidated series average of 10.47 million viewers.[26] A third eight-part series aired in the UK from January 2014,[27] with a consolidated average of 10.53 million.[26]

On 28 February 2014, BBC confirmed that Call the Midwife had been commissioned for a 2014 Christmas special[28] and fourth series, to air in 2015.[29] On 3 November 2014, BBC announced that an eight-episode fifth series had been commissioned; it began airing on 17 January 2016; the fifth series takes the story into 1961.[30] The sixth series began airing in the UK on 22 January 2017, taking the drama into 1962.[31] Series seven, again consisting of eight episodes, began airing on Sunday, 21 January 2018, with episode one viewed by 9.87 million viewers.[32] It was the No.1 rated programme on UK TV for all weeks of its transmission, ending 11 March 2018.[32] The eighth series premiered on 13 January 2019.[33]

Home media

The first series was released in a Region 2, two-disc set on 12 March 2012.[34] Series 2 was scheduled for release on 1 April 2013 in the UK (region 2)[35] with a collector's edition, Call the Midwife Collection, containing series 1, 2 and the 2012 Christmas Special, released on the same date.[36]

In the United States, the first series was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 6 November 2012. Series 2 was scheduled for release on DVD and Blu-ray on 18 June 2013.[37] Series 3 was released on Blu-ray on 20 May 2014.[38] Series 4 was released on Blu-ray on 19 May 2015.[39]

Reception

Critical response

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.

In the United States, the series 1 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 series.[40]

The autumn 2012 PBS broadcast of the first series of Call the Midwife in the United States received widespread 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",[41] while The Washington Post stated that "the cast is marvelous, the gritty, post-war set pieces are meticulously recreated".[42] TV Guide called the series "a delight to watch",[43] while the San Francisco Chronicle described it as "sentimental, poignant and often heartbreaking".[44]

The second series opened with a record overnight audience of 9.3 million UK viewers,[45] going on to achieve a consolidated series average of 10.47 million viewers.[26] This was almost two million above the slot average, and by some distance the most popular UK drama in every week of transmission.[46] 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,[47] the total number of viewers per week was found to be almost 12 million.[48]

The critical reception for series two 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",[49] 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".[50] 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,"[51] while Caitlin Moran claimed the series encapsulated "how unbelievably terrifying, dreary and vile it was to be a working-class woman 60 years ago."[49]

After the departure of Jessica Raine as Jenny Lee at the end of the third series, Jennifer Worth's family stated that Call The Midwife no longer resembled Worth's stories.[52]

Accolades
Year Award Category Recipient Result
2012 British Academy Television Craft Awards Best Costume Design Amy Roberts Nominated
British Academy Television Awards 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
TV Choice Awards, UK Best Actress Miranda Hart Won
Best New Drama Call the Midwife Won
2013 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
Christopher Award TV and Cable Prize Call the Midwife Won
British Academy Television Craft Awards Director – Fiction Philippa Lowthorpe Won
Make up and Hair Design Christine Walmesley-Cotham Won
British Academy Television Awards Audience award Call the Midwife Nominated
TV Choice Awards, UK Best Actress Miranda Hart Won
Best Drama Series Call the Midwife Nominated
2014 National Television Awards Drama Performance: Female Miranda Hart Nominated
Best Drama Call the Midwife Nominated
Satellite Award Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television Judy Parfitt Nominated
TV and Radio Industries Club Award Drama Programme of the Year Call the Midwife Nominated
2015 TV Choice Awards, UK Best Family Drama Call the Midwife Won
2016 Sandford St Martin Trust Awards Radio Times Faith Award Call the Midwife Won
TV Choice Awards, UK Best Family Drama Call the Midwife Won
2017 National Television Awards Best Period Drama Call the Midwife Won
Gracie Awards, US Television - Ensemble Cast Call the Midwife Won
BFI & Radio Times TV Festival Best 21st Century TV Drama Call the Midwife Won
TV Choice Awards, UK Best Family Drama Call the Midwife Won
2018 National Television Awards Best Drama Call the Midwife Nominated
TV and Radio Industries Club Award Drama Programme of the Year Call the Midwife Nominated
TV Choice Awards, UK Best Family Drama Call the Midwife Won
2019 National Television Awards Best Drama Call the Midwife Nominated
TV and Radio Industries Club Award Drama Programme of the Year Call the Midwife Nominated
American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers Screen Music Awards Top Cable Television Series Music Maurizio Malagnini - Call the Midwife Won
TV Choice Awards, UK Best Family Drama Call the Midwife Won
2020 National Television Awards Best Drama Call the Midwife Nominated
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References
  1. "Call the Midwife creator Heidi Thomas: TV series won't suffer when source material runs out". Radio Times. 12 February 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  2. "Call the Midwife series ends on ratings high". BBC News. 20 February 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
  3. "Season 1 | Seasons | Call the Midwife". PBS.org. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  4. "BBC gives Call the Midwife sixth run by BBC". The Guardian. 10 December 2015. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  5. "Call The Midwife - Season 1 Reviews". Metacritic. 13 September 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  6. Newham Recorder 1 February 2012 page 24
  7. "QSMV Dominion Monarch". Retrieved 6 March 2012.
  8. Kent Film Office. "Kent Film Office Call The Midwife Article".
  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. "Video: Season 4 – Episode 8 – Watch Call the Midwife Online – PBS Video". PBS Video. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  11. Frances Taylor (3 November 2014). "Call the Midwife recommissioned for series 5 by BBC". Digital Spy. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  12. Ellie Walker-Arnott (1 April 2016). "Call the Midwife reveals first look at 2016 Christmas special". Radio Times. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  13. Mitchell, Bea. "Call the Midwife is coming back... for series seven, eight AND nine". Digitalspy.com. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  14. "Call the Midwife gets two more series". BBC. 4 March 2019. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  15. Clarke, Stewart (4 March 2019). "British Dramas 'Call the Midwife, 'Endeavour,' 'Vera' Get New Seasons". Variety. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  16. "BBC WORLDWIDE and PBS Sign Deal to Bring Critically Acclaimed Show to the US". 15 May 2012. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
  17. Πρόγραμμα Τηλεόρασης [NET program on Tuesday 16 October 2012] (in Greek). ERT online. Archived from the original on 17 February 2013. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
  18. Επειγόντως τη μαμή [The midwife, urgently] (in Greek). ERT online. Archived from the original on 23 November 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  19. "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.
  20. "TV-tablå". 19 May 2013. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
  21. "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.
  22. "British hit drama Downton Abbey leads way in TV exports". 22 March 2013. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  23. "Call the Midwife creator 'not bored' after six series". ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
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  25. Sweney, Mark (23 January 2012). "BBC Calls the Midwife for a second series". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
  26. "Top 30 Programmes – BARB". BARB. 21 March 2013. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
  27. "Digital Spy UK: Call the Midwife series 3 air date announced". BBC Online. 8 January 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  28. "Ariel – Call the Midwife to return for a fourth series". Ariel. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  29. Ellie Walker-Arnott. "Call the Midwife series 4 commissioned by BBC1". RadioTimes. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  30. "'Call The Midwife' Renewed for Series 5 by BBC; Series Airs on PBS in the US – TV By The Numbers by zap2it.com – Page 323147". TV By The Numbers by zap2it.com. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  31. "When is Call the Midwife series six on TV?". RadioTimes. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
  32. "Weekly top 30 programmes - BARB". www.barb.co.uk.
  33. "BBC - Call The Midwife - Media Centre - Week 1". BBC. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  34. "Call the Midwife (DVD): Amazon.co.uk: Jessica Raine, Miranda Hart, Pam Ferris: Film & TV". Amazon.com. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
  35. "Call the Midwife Series 2(DVD)". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  36. "Call the Midwife Collection – Series 1–2 + Christmas Special [DVD]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  37. "Call the Midwife: Season Two (2013)". Amazon.com. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  38. "Call the Midwife: Season Three (2014)". Amazon.com. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
  39. "Call the Midwife: Season Four (2015)". Amazon.com. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  40. "BBC AND PBS TO BRING SECOND SEASON OF CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED DRAMA "CALL THE MIDWIFE" TO THE U.S." Retrieved 6 December 2012.
  41. "The Labor-Intensive Life". The Wall Street Journal. 29 October 2012. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
  42. Stuever, Hank (29 October 2012). "'Call the Midwife': Keep calm and puuush". The Washington Post. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
  43. "Weekend TV: Homeland, Dexter, PBS' Midwife, Fringe, More". 29 October 2012. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
  44. "'Call the Midwife' review: Heartwarming". The San Francisco Chronicle. 29 October 2012. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
  45. Plunkett, John (21 January 2013). "Call the Midwife draws its biggest audience". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
  46. "Broadcast Magazine pp.2,35". 15 March 2013. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
  47. "BBC Live Plus 7 metric adds iPlayer viewing to programme stats". Research. 29 November 2010. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
  48. "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.
  49. "Caitlin Moran on TV: Call the radical feminist". The Times. 26 January 2013. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  50. Pearson, Allison (13 March 2013). "Women's have-it-all fantasy often spells heartbreak". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  51. "Call the Midwife is the torchbearer of feminism on television". Radio Times. 24 February 2013. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  52. Furness, Hannah (11 July 2014). "BBC should have 'stopped Call the Midwife at the end of last series'" – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
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