Skip to content
  • About us
  • Music
  • Celebrities
  • TV and Movies
  • Fashion
  • Entertaiment
  • Life Style
  • Travel and Health
Style Focus

Style Focus

  • About us
  • Music
  • Celebrities
  • TV and Movies
  • Fashion
  • Entertaiment
  • Life Style
  • Travel and Health
  • Toggle search form
  • YAROMIYA gives an emotional charge in a new single about the depth of feelings
    “Pour your wine”: YAROMIYA gives an emotional charge in a new single about the depth of feelings music
  • Willoughby kidnap plot – jury told threat was ‘imminent’ Uncategorised
  • “Take a look at yourself” — Silia Kapsis breaks free from unrealistic standards in the “Liar” lyrics Uncategorised
  • VICTORIA NIRO:  A Voice That Reimagines Memory
    VICTORIA NIRO:  A Voice That Reimagines Memory music
  • ‘My Britain’s Got Talent win is a dream come true’ Uncategorised
  • Which automatic qualifier had the best first rehearsal at Eurovision 2024 on Thursday (2 May)? Uncategorised
  • Will TikTok help take Saltburn from bathtubs to Baftas? Uncategorised
  • “Why not?” — Piqued Jacks discuss potential Eurovision return amidst ongoing touring schedule Uncategorised

Call the Midwife creator: ‘People tell me birth stories in the supermarket’

Posted on 27 December 2024 By Admin No Comments on Call the Midwife creator: ‘People tell me birth stories in the supermarket’
Heidi Thomas on the set of Call the Midwife, she has a brown bob and is wearing a pearl necklace and a black top
Heidi Thomas says her show “will always be a drama for me about women and the working classes”

Call the Midwife creator Heidi Thomas is used to being told unexpected things over her shopping trolley.

“I was in the supermarket, and a woman came up and said, ‘I gave birth standing up’,” she laughs. “What am I going to do with that?”

Probably more than you might think, given she’s behind the popular TV series which tells a myriad of birth stories.

Thomas’s Bafta-winning BBC drama explores the lives of the midwives and nuns who live together in a convent, Nonnatus House, and the families they care for in post-war east London.

“Call the Midwife will always be a drama for me about women and the working classes,” she tells the BBC.

The British writer’s superpower is arguably her ability to deftly mix stories of care and warmth with the brutal realities of poverty, racism, backstreet abortions, child loss and domestic abuse, to name but a few.

The BBC One show – consistently a high performer in TV ratings – is now approaching its 14th series since 2012, which is no mean feat in an increasingly competitive TV landscape.

Sister Julienne (Jenny Agutter) and Dr Turner (Stephen McGann) with a baby on the set of the show
Sister Julienne (Jenny Agutter) and Dr Turner (Stephen McGann) with one of the smallest stars of the show – a newborn baby

Thomas manages to cram in tough storylines into a cosy 8pm, Sunday night slot, often shared with shows such as Antiques Roadshow.

There have only been two instances where she’s been asked to change something in the show, which was initially set in 1957 and is about to hit the 1970s.

“One was for the haemorrhage machine,” she recalls, describing a contraption which recreates post-birth blood loss.

“I think it’s a unique piece of equipment to us.

“We were told the blood was too noisy on the lino [on the floor] – so that was literally about a sound effect.”

The other was “a tussle” over the use of the word bastard, a dated and offensive way of describing a child born to unmarried parents.

Thomas says they had to do a bit of “creative cutting” to remove it.

Nurse Shelagh Turner (Laura Main), Nurse Phyllis Crane (Linda Bassett) and Cyril Robinson (Zephryn Taitte) dishing out food from the back of a car in the East End
Nurse Shelagh Turner (Laura Main), Nurse Phyllis Crane (Linda Bassett) and Cyril Robinson (Zephryn Taitte) are full of community spirit

Amazingly, though, despite running pre-watershed, she hasn’t had a single plotline censored or knocked back by the BBC.

“We’ve never had to compromise our style of storytelling, because it’s set in Nonnatus House, ” she says, where the nuns and midwives live and share words of wisdom, along with tea and cake.

“We take emotional care of our audience, so even if we push them quite hard by showing them dark emotions or desperate circumstances, we bring them back to a place where they feel safe.”

She says the show challenges viewers by being “emotionally graphic”.

“People often think graphic means blood sliding down the walls, but it can mean showing somebody in the pits of despair; interestingly, that’s always permissible, even before the watershed.

“But even when our stories don’t end happily, there is always a note of hope somewhere.”

Miss Higgins, played by Georgie Glen, peeling sprouts in the kitchen in a white blouse and apron
Miss Higgins is part of a storyline about sexually transmitted diseases

Thomas has also managed to write endless fresh storylines, reflecting the health and social issues of the era.

“People ask me every year, ‘Where do you get your stories from?’

“And the simple answer is, I go into the British Newspaper Archive, or I go into the medical archive, or people come up to me in the street.”

This is what made her decide to write about sexually transmitted diseases in the upcoming series in January.

“In the health report for Poplar [in London’s East End], there was this brilliant description of how gonorrhea was getting out of control, and the Greater London Council instigated tracing teams of middle-aged women,” she says.

“I just thought, ‘this is Miss Higgins’ – I love Miss Higgins.”

Miss Higgins, played by Georgie Glen, is the prim surgery receptionist with a poignant family backstory, which revealed her hidden strengths.

“I think all good drama takes you by surprise,” Thomas says.

“The stories I choose to tell are the ones that grab me by the throat or the heart.

“I never know which organ is coming under pressure.

“But there’s this kind of ‘Wow’ moment, when I see things that actually happened, and then that feeds into the fictional process of developing the drama.”

Stephen McGann as Dr Turner, standing by a brightly decorated Christmas tree in a green jumper
Stephen McGann, Heidi Thomas’s husband, plays the show’s GP Dr Turner

The show is also a family affair for Thomas, given her husband Stephen McGann plays a central character, GP Dr Patrick Turner.

His recognisable face is often the reason the couple are approached in the street by fans, who don’t always realise who Thomas is.

“He’s always quick to say: “‘Oh, this is the lady who writes it’,” she says, “and then they kind of go into a meltdown! I think some people don’t realise we’re married in real life.”

The series is broadcast in up to 200 global territories, although its biggest audience is in the US.

She laughs as she recalls seeing the dubbed version of McGann on Italian TV while the couple were away on holiday there.

“They gave him a really deep, sexy laugh, out of all proportion to what he was saying – it was a lovely ‘har har har’.”

Thomas, whose other writing work includes 2007 BBC period drama Cranford and 2017 mini-series Little Women, says despite how much of her life is entwined with the show, she still manages to keep home and work separate.

She rarely goes on set during filming, and explains that McGann never sees the scripts before they’re issued to the other actors.

“That was a decision I made to protect his integrity as an actor at an early stage,” she says. “But I think it’s protected my writing space as well.”

Call the Midwife cast Christmas scene, with characters cooking around a table in a kitchen
The show recently had two Christmas episodes broadcast on BBC One

She talks about the impact of the series abroad, including the stories it tells about illegal abortion.

“We’ve had requests from young American women to use clips from our show on their Instagram feeds, so they can warn their peers of what may happen if the laws in America are changed.

“You realise you are touching people’s lives and perspectives in a very profound way.”

She also speaks about the importance of kindness, which is in abundance on the show, and about her brother David.

He was born in 1970 with Down’s syndrome and serious heart complications, and died in 1985.

“I’ve lived quite a long life now. I’m 62 and I grew up with quite a severely disabled brother, and that opened me to the goodness of people,” she says.

“To the people who just met him as he was, accepted him as he was and loved him for what he was – that, at a very early, informative age, was my introduction to humanity,” she says.

“And I honestly think that having somebody severely disabled at my side for the first 20 years of my life changed me for the good.”

Reggie Jackson, played by Daniel Laurie, holding flowers outside in a hat and coat
Reggie Jackson, played by Daniel Laurie, is central to Christmas specials

The show’s character Reggie Jackson, played by Daniel Laurie, who has Down’s syndrome, had a big storyline in this year’s Christmas specials, putting him at the heart of the show.

Thomas ends by saying: “I think what this show is about, most of all, is love and kindness. It’s about people doing their best.

“So I will carry on telling stories that show the better side of human nature.”

Call the Midwife will be on BBC One at 20:00 GMT on Sunday 5 January 2025; the Christmas and Boxing Xmas Day episodes are available on BBC iPlayer.

Adblock test (Why?)

Uncategorised

Post navigation

Previous Post: Nina Zizic: The “Dobrodošli” revamp will have only Montenegrin lyrics
Next Post: Kаrry G: «I believe it’s the connection thing – sharing your energy and make people feel what you feel»

Related Posts

  • Singer SHADU presented two bright tracks and surprised her fans
    Singer SHADU presented two bright tracks and surprised her fans Uncategorised
  • Selena Gomez announces engagement to Benny Blanco Uncategorised
  • Slovenia: RTVSLO director says Eurovision withdrawal is likely following unanswered questions about Israel’s participation Uncategorised
  • Jennifer Lawrence Has Funny Reaction to Her Wardrobe Malfunction While Presenting Holiday Display Uncategorised
  • Singer and actress Marianne Faithfull dies at 78 Uncategorised
  • Czechia: ESCZ 2024 date confirmed for 4 December…along with first-ever live audience Uncategorised

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

  • Germany: Chancellor Friedrich Merz says he’d support Eurovision withdrawal if Israel is excluded
  • Queen leads tributes to ‘wonderfully witty friend’ Dame Jilly Cooper
  • First celebrity leaves Strictly after dance-off
  • New music this week: Songs from KEiiNO, Lord Of The Lost, The Black Mamba and more
  • Sweden’s Klara Hammarström wins OGAE Second Chance Contest 2025 with “On and On and On”

Recent Comments

No comments to show.

Archives

  • October 2025
  • September 2025
  • August 2025
  • July 2025
  • June 2025
  • May 2025
  • April 2025
  • March 2025
  • February 2025
  • January 2025
  • December 2024
  • November 2024
  • October 2024
  • September 2024
  • August 2024
  • July 2024
  • June 2024
  • May 2024
  • April 2024
  • March 2024
  • February 2024
  • January 2024
  • December 2023
  • November 2023
  • October 2023
  • September 2023
  • August 2023
  • July 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • March 2022
  • November 2008

Categories

  • announcements
  • Events
  • Fashion
  • music
  • Persons
  • Uncategorised
  • Taylor Swift Goes Casual in Beyoncé’s Ivy Park Sneakers and Leggings Outside NYC Studio Uncategorised
  • Lilo and Stitch beat Tom Cruise in box office bonanza Uncategorised
  • Aoki Lee Simmons Reflects on Publicly Slamming Her Father, Russell Simmons, Over Alleged Abuse Uncategorised
  • Sir Ian McKellen on taking role he always said no to Uncategorised
  • These Incredibly Flattering Leggings Rival a Cult-Favorite Pair — But at a Fraction of the Cost Uncategorised
  • Glastonbury 2024: 15 magical and memorable moments Uncategorised
  • Could Loïc Nottet return to Eurovision 2026 for Belgium? Uncategorised
  • RADIOIKONA releases a vibe single "This Summer"
    RADIOIKONA releases a vibe single “This Summer” music

Copyright © Style Focus

Powered by PressBook News WordPress theme