Why you should watch BBC's 'Call the Midwife'

Jennifer Kirby, Leonie Elliott, Helen George, Charlotte Ritchie -
Credit: BBC/Neal Street Productions/Nicky Johnston

I first started watching 'Call the Midwife' for study reasons. My research thesis for my MA at Sorbonne-Nouvelle was on Women's work in the 1940-50s in Britain and I found out about this show which covered perfectly what I was looking for. What I didn't know is that I would fell madly in love with it - and will still watch it years later. 

'Call the Midwife' is BBC period drama series following a group of midwives working in East London, Poplar, in the 1950-60s. It was created by Heidi Thomas and is originally based on the memoirs of Jennifer Worth, a nurse working with the Community of St. John the Divine at their convent in the East End. As we follow the nurses caring for their community, we learn about the social and economic issues of the time that they are facing as well as the personal struggles of these families and the midwives themselves - and how they live with and overcome them.

The series star Jessica Raine, Miranda Hart, Helen George, Bryony Hannah, Laura Main, Jenny Agutter, Judy Parfitt, Stephen McGann, Linda Bassett, and many more as the characters come and go. It is a historical show about life, humanity, community, love and especially,  how better people can be if they stand together. I warn you, you will never have a dry eye at the end of every episode!  

As I said, I first started to watch the show to learn more about women's lives and work during that period of time in Britain for my thesis and ended up loving the series, even becoming addicted to it.

This show doesn't only features many great women - and actresses - as the main characters - which is still quite rare to see - but also tackles with honestly and empathy many women's issues, both physical and mental at any age. As the series follows a group of midwives, it focuses primarily on pregnant women and children. But there is also a strong depiction of families and what it was living at this time in one of the poorest area of London, by tackling a variety of contemporary social, cultural and economic issues - including nationalised healthcare, teen pregnancy, the importance of local community, miscarriage and stillbirths, abortion and unwanted pregnancies, birth defects, poverty, illnesses, prostitution, incest, racism, same-sex attraction and female genital mutilation. Each episode focuses on a different story and always ends with love, whatever kind - maternal, paternal, filial, fraternal, sisterly, romantic, or friendships. This series gives a historical insight on the time period as well as doing in a compassionate and empathetic way for each character and storyline.  

'Call the Midwife' also gives great importance to their characters by giving them interesting and touching storylines that can only resonate deep within you. One of my favourite storylines is Trixie Franklin's one. Trixie, portrayed by Helen George, is a very charming nurse who has been in the show since the beginning. In Season 4, Trixie is confronted with bad memories from her childhood and has a fallout with her boyfriend. She slowly begins to lose herself within her work and copes with drinking - which becomes an addiction. At the end of the season, she reaches a breaking point and has to ask for help. In the next season, Trixie is better but her addiction is never put aside but, on the contrary, is also depicted as a battle within herself. Trixie's character keeps on being developed throughout the seasons and all of her issues and achievements are showcases, as it is for every character. 

After watching each episode, you are not only learning about British social, cultural, economic and medical history but also you are taught a lesson about love, community and kindness. This is a very instructive and heartwarming show, which knows how to steal its audiences hears! Indeed, the BBC has now realised 9 seasons and there are more to come! 

So if you want to have a good time, while learning some important life lessons, I suggest you go watch 'Call the Midwife' immediately! You will not regret it!