Don’t really care for watching a series about midwifery and babies? No, me neither.
This is an exception, though. One of those exceptions that led me to starting this blog in the first place: it transcends its genre (historical drama) and its theme (midwifery) with striking ease. Call the Midwife is a perfectly subtle, meaningful and very charming story about (mainly two) women who happen to be midwives London’s East End in the 1950s.
The young middle-class innocent new midwife Jenny Lee (Jessica Raine) starts work in one of the poorest and filthiest areas of London and she’s soon confronted with what poverty looks and smells like. This is just after WWII and the east of the city is still in ruins. These midwives provide life-saving care for the poor and are the beginning of what the NHS is now. It’s also the 1950s of course, and this drama nicely handles all the questions around the position of women as well as class without rubbing it in your face in any sort of annoying way.
It ticks all the boxes on engaging writing, good acting, brilliant production design and originality. Also look out for the voice of Vanessa Redgrave and a great performance from (in her first more serious role) Miranda Hart.
The Bella Review 