Call the Midwife S01-S02 complete (1280x720p HD, 50fps, soft Eng subs)
A heart-warming tale of life in London's hard-up East End. Midwives welcome new lives in the changing times of the 50s and 60s.
Series One
S01E01
This opening episode sees newly qualified midwife Jenny Lee arriving at Nonnatus House. Believing she has been sent to a small private hospital, Jenny is initially surprised to find herself at a convent. Via Jenny, we are introduced to the series world and its regular characters - the Sisters (Julienne, Evangelina, Bernadette and Monica Joan), her nursing colleagues Trixie and Cynthia, and the jovial handyman Fred. Initially daunted by her surroundings, which are so different to anything she has witnessed previously, Jenny gradually begins to find her feet.
The story of the week focuses on the first case Jenny is allowed to handle alone - the care of Mrs Conchita Warren, during her 25th pregnancy. Conchita is married to Len Warren, an East End painter and decorator who fought in the Spanish Civil War. He brought Conchita home with him after hostilities ceased - a living, breathing and very beautiful souvenir.
Conchita speaks no English, as according to Len there has never been any need, and spends her days caring for her enormous family. Her case appears to be routine, but when freezing smog descends on London events take a turn for the worse. Conchita slips, falls and goes into labour at 30 weeks gestation - suffering from severe concussion. Jenny, alone in the house with Conchita and her husband, must draw on all her reserves of skill and courage if Conchita and her premature child are to survive.
This episode also features Pearl, whose indomitable spirit rises above a dose of venereal disease; and Muriel, whose home delivery shows us the best and worst that the system has to offer.
S01E02
As the nuns and nurses go about their duties, Nonnatus House gains a new resident, Chummy, a welcome pair of hands to help with the busy caseload. Sister Evangelina, in a case of inverted snobbery, has little patience with her or with her passionate and somewhat lofty desire to become a missionary.
Meanwhile, Jenny has a chance late-night encounter with Mary, a young Irish girl aged 15. She is heavily pregnant and reveals that she ran away from an abusive home life in rural Ireland and made her way to London. She is unwilling to give away many details of her current situation. Mary is desperate and terrified, and eventually Jenny discovers the full, horrific details of the young girl's plight.
Destitute upon arrival in London, Mary was "taken in" by Zakir, the owner of an all-night cafe in the notorious Cable Street area. It transpired that the cafe was in fact a brothel, and Mary was forced into prostitution almost immediately. Her suffering has been extreme, but in the tough world of the criminal East End, this is far from unusual.
Sister Julienne arranges for Mary to be helped by a religious charity, but sadly it is not to be the end of her tragic story.
Chummy makes great efforts to settle in, but nerves and a keenness to please almost overwhelm her, and she makes slow progress. A particular obstacle is her inability to ride a bike, and although Jenny, Trixie and Cynthia struggle to teach her, their efforts are hampered by catcalling and jeering from local children. Her initial attempts to learn end in a spectacular collision between the three midwives and a policeman, PC Noakes.
Chummy's future at Nonnatus House hangs in the balance, and she soon finds herself out of her depth.
S01E03
Jenny is placed on the district nursing roster for a few weeks, to extend her experience of community practice. Her first patient is a gentle old soldier, Joe, who is suffering from appalling leg ulcers. In his eighties and almost blind, Joe is effectively confined to his one-roomed tenement flat and enjoys Jenny's visits. Although not naturally chatty, Jenny appreciates his stories, and a tentative friendship forms.
The story of their emerging friendship is interwoven with that of Ted, who becomes a father rather late in life. His wife, Winnie, is in her forties, and had thought her days of nappies and babies were well behind her. They have only recently married. For Ted, a childless widower in his sixties, it was a stunningly sweet and unexpected romance; for Winnie, it was a pragmatic step that secured her future. The pregnancy is a surprise to them both and Ted, who never imagined he would be a father, is overjoyed, and throws his heart and soul into the preparations. Winnie, sadly, seems less than thrilled. Ted is exceptionally solicitous and he enthusiastically accompanies Winnie to her clinic visits, and takes the lead in sorting out the pram and the layette.
Despite her growing fondness for Joe, Jenny remains revolted by the filthy condition of his flat and even feels unable to accept a cup of tea from him, so unclean are his cups. Their friendship is saved - and indeed cemented - when he produces a bottle of sherry. As the buildings where Joe lives in come up for being condemned, there is talk of moving him into an old people's hospital. Saddened by this development, Joe focuses all his energy on a forthcoming regimental reunion - he has been unable to attend for many years due to mobility problems, but Jenny has a plan.
S01E04
The episode commences with Jenny delivering a little girl, Gillian, to Shirley Redmond. As Shirley's previous baby was stillborn, Sister Evangelina is also in attendance. Jenny has now been working in the East End for some time, and feels privileged to share such a precious part of these women's lives. Soon after Shirley gives birth, a bombshell drops; the newborn baby has been snatched from her pram, outside the Redmond household. A full-scale search is launched, and the entire community becomes involved in the quest to reunite the desperate parents with their child.
Cynthia, meanwhile, finds herself involved in an equally traumatic situation as she witnesses true love and heartbreak when she meets David and Margaret during their time of need. A middle-aged headmaster, David and his young musician wife Margaret are expecting their firstborn when she suffers from eclampsia. It is a heart wrenching case, and Cynthia observes the strength of soul mates and tragedy of loss.
Just as the trail appears to have gone cold with Shirley's baby, she is found. She was taken by Mary, the Irish girl whom Jenny had befriended previously. Mary has been unable to resolve the grief she felt after losing her own child. The police want to prosecute Mary but, urged by Jenny, Sister Julienne and Sister Evangelina intervene and ask for leniency on Mary's behalf.
S01E05
An episode in which Jenny finds herself for once not involved in the beginning of life, but at its end.
When Frank, the brother of Peggy, the cleaner at Nonnatus House, is diagnosed with cancer, Jenny and the nuns are called upon to provide him with care. In doing so, Jenny comes to know the siblings better, learning of their upbringing in a workhouse and the profound effect it has had on their relationship.
As Jenny tends to Frank, the other residents of Nonnatus House find themselves involved in helping Fred with his latest money-making venture - a pig called Evie. Fred's plan had been to make his fortune from bacon, but this is scuppered when they realise the pig is pregnant. The nuns and nurses help out Fred and Evie in the manner they know best.
S01E06
Sister Monica Joan is found wandering near the docks, and returned to Nonnatus House by the police. Her adventure takes its toll on her health and she succumbs to pneumonia. When she eventually recovers, she sails forth back into the community, only to find herself in trouble with the law when she is accused of theft. As Sister Monica Joan's case progresses to trial, the Nonnatus House community fear that the old nun could find herself going to jail.
Already concerned about Sister Monica Joan, Chummy has further worries when her mother decides to make a trip to inspect her new 'beau'. The visit is not a success, and Chummy suffers a crisis of confidence and breaks off her relationship with PC Noakes. Jenny and the other midwives pull together to convince her she is making a mistake.
Christmas Special 2012
Christmas is coming, and in Poplar the midwives of Nonnatus House are busier than ever. When an abandoned baby is discovered on the steps of the convent, the whole community rallies round to provide food and clothing, and to try and trace his mother.
Nurse Jenny Lee, meanwhile, gets caught up in the heartbreaking mystery that surrounds an elderly, semi-vagrant local woman, Mrs Jenkins.
For newly married Chummy, other challenges await, as she pulls out all the stops to mount a truly memorable children's nativity play.
Series Two
S02E01
It's 1958 and, returning from a long day of duties, Nurse Jenny Lee finds the Nonnatus House community gathered to wish her a happy birthday, before she, Chummy, Trixie and Cynthia head off to the cinema - it's a joyous celebration. However, the midwife's good cheer is short-lived when the next day she is assigned a new patient, Molly Brignall. Involved in an abusive marriage, Molly's due date is imminent and Jenny worries about the harm that could come to Molly and her children.
Meanwhile, Trixie and Sister Evangelina find themselves in highly unusual circumstances, aboard a Swedish cargo ship and looking after the captain's daughter - who is about to have her first baby.
S02E02
The Nonnatus community is rocked when the Kelly family's new born son dies tragically in unexplained circumstances. Cynthia, who had attended the birth, comes under intense scrutiny from the police and the pregnant women of Poplar. Despite reassurances from her friends and colleagues, Cynthia questions her own abilities and the immense strain takes its toll on her work and health.
Now fully ensconced in married life with PC Noakes, Chummy's decision to pursue her dream brings about a different sort of pressure as exciting changes lie ahead for the couple. Meanwhile, a chance encounter returns Jimmy to Jenny's life with surprising results.
S02E03
Jenny is seconded to the short-staffed London Hospital to work on the male surgical ward. Initially hesitant about her temporary assignment, she becomes increasingly reluctant about her new duties when she finds herself working under an intimidating surgeon, Mr Tracey.
Back in Poplar the midwives have a new addition to the household, Jane, who lends a hand in Jenny's absence. In one of their most unusual cases, the nuns and nurses are introduced to a forthright pair of twins, Meg and Mave Carter. The two women are identical in every way - they even share a husband - except one of them is now pregnant. As the pair come to terms with the impact that a baby will have on each of them, Jenny unexpectedly helps to save the life of an old friend.
S02E04
Returning from her stint at the London Hospital, Jenny needs all her skill as a midwife when she and Sister Evangelina assist at the birth of the Roberts' baby, who is born with spina bifida. The parents, Doug and Ruby, struggle to understand and accept their son's life-limiting condition. Jenny has never delivered a disabled child and she too struggles to accept the implications the illness could have for the child's future - abandonment and institutionalisation.
Nonnatus House, meanwhile, plays host to an acquaintance of Chummy's - the Reverend Applebee-Thornton, an eccentric cleric who befriends Jane.
S02E05
The whole Poplar community pulls together to prepare for the annual summer fete. This year, with the introduction of a baby show, the Nonnatus House midwives will be more involved than ever - especially Trixie, who assumes responsibility for securing a celebrity judge.
For others, though, life is far less festive. At the antenatal clinic Jenny meets Nora Harding, an impoverished mother of eight, who is distraught that she may soon have another mouth to feed. Jenny's attempts to reassure her fall on deaf ears, and a desperate Nora takes matters into her own hands - with disastrous consequences.
S02E06
Dr Turner manages to get Poplar included in the mass X-ray screening programme for TB. Meanwhile, Jenny meets a family who have been devastated by the disease.
S02E07
Cynthia's district nursing rounds find her administering daily insulin injections to diabetic John Lacey, a deplorable bully who consistently belittles his wife Annie. A visit from Annie's beloved son Bob, and moral support from Cynthia, see Annie gaining confidence and start to turn her life around.
Jenny's work leads her to witness persecution of a different variety when she looks after a black mother-to-be, Monique, who is subjected to racial prejudice from her neighbours.
Funded by the success of the Summer Fete, Nonnatus House takes ownership of a scooter to help with their rounds. Fred teaches the midwives how to ride, with amusing and unforeseen consequences.
The whole community is thrilled when Chummy and Peter return home from Sierra Leone with a surprise of their own.
S02E08
As Chummy and Peter prepare to become parents, Fred has a visit from his daughter Dolly, who also has a baby on the way. Meanwhile, Sister Bernadette faces her own difficult crossroads; to the delight of her friends, particularly Dr Turner, her health crisis has passed and she will soon be free to leave the sanatorium. She must now decide whether her future lies within or outside the walls of Nonnatus House.
Jimmy reappears, accompanied by his handsome colleague Alec, having been tasked by the council to survey the buildings in the area. Alec seems quite keen on Jenny, and an evening out to a jazz club sees romance blossom. As Chummy goes into labour, the winds of change are blowing through Poplar and the Nonnatus House community must stand together to face the challenges of the future.
Christmas Special 2013
1958 is drawing to a close as the residents of Poplar prepare for Christmas. Festivities are thrown into chaos when an unexploded bomb is discovered close to Nonnatus House, causing mayhem among the nuns, midwives and residents of Poplar just days before Christmas. Everyone is evacuated from their homes, and the midwives of Nonnatus House are tasked with overseeing the rescue centre until the bomb is made safe.
Jenny Lee finds herself drawn into the lives of young couple Yvonne and Alan Bridges, who are expecting their first child. Since fighting in the Korean War, Alan has suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and Jenny, with the help of Trixie, becomes instrumental in helping him to overcome his fears.
Elsewhere, Shelagh Mannion, formerly Sister Bernadette, and Dr Turner prepare for their understated wedding. But when Timothy is struck down with a potentially fatal illness, their plans are put on hold while they keep vigil at his bedside.
First broadcast: January-February 2012 and January-February 2013
Duration: 1 hour per episode
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