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Series 1 is the first series of Call the Midwife and was originally broadcast in 2012 on BBC1.

Plot[]

The first series, consisting of six episodes follows the lives of Jenny Lee and her fellow midwives and district nurses at Nonnatus House, Poplar. At first Jenny believes herself to be going to a small private hospital but finds herself in a convent, run by the sisters of St Raymond Nonnatus, among them are wise and skilled Sister Julienne, harsh yet caring Sister Evangelina, senile and elderly Sister Monica Joan and shy and intelligent Sister Bernadette. The nuns work in a very poor and needy area, with slums often housing families of ten or more with varying medical needs. Jenny also nurses alongside Trixie Franklin and Cynthia Miller who already work there as does handyman Fred Buckle who runs many get rich quick schemes on the side. set in early 1957, tackles the "Baby Boom", issues of poverty in the East End and post-war immigration.

The original midwives

The main plotline is Jenny’s with her curbing her revulsion and working alongside mothers such as Mary, Pearl Winston, Conchita Warren and Shirley Redmond. Other patients like Joe Collett and Frank and Peggy Hobson who grew up in the workhouse, also come her way in Poplar. In the series she reconnects with old friend Jimmy Wilson who admits his feelings for her but she can’t as it is revealed she was involved in a passionate love affair with a married man named Gerald and her work in Poplar was her escape. However in Poplar she finds a new beginning and the confidence to end it with Gerald.

The first set of nuns

Other subplots involve newest nurse Chummy Fortescue Cholmeley Browne who dreams of becoming a missionary but is harshly criticized by Sister Evangelina. Chummy comes to grow in confidence and skills and meets constable Peter Noakes who she accidentally knocked over with a bicycle. There is also Sister Monica Joan who is suffering from dementia, before then was one of the first women to qualify as a midwife in Britain against the wishes of her family, and in the last episode is put on trial for alleged stolen jewellery but her name is cleared by head of the order Mother Jesu Emmanuel. The series ends with the wedding of Chummy and Peter.

Episodes[]

For a complete list of episodes, see List of Episodes.

Series 1 (2012)[]

Series 1
No.

overall

Episode Directed by Written by Original air date UK viewers


(millions) [12]

1 Episode 1 Philippa Lowthorpe Heidi Thomas 15 January 2012 9.83
In 1957, Jenny Lee (Jessica Raine) arrives for her new job at Nonnatus House, a nursing convent in the Poplar district of London. The convent is home to a small order of nuns consisting of Sisters Julienne (Jenny Agutter), Evangelina (Pam Ferris), Bernadette (Laura Main), and Monica Joan (Judy Parfitt). Two other midwives, Trixie Franklin (Helen George) and Cynthia Miller (Bryony Hannah), already work at the convent, as does handyman Fred (Cliff Parisi). Jenny also meets local physician Dr. Patrick Turner (Stephen McGann). After some initial difficulties fitting in, Jenny's first assigned expectant mother is Conchita Warren, a Spanish woman who already has a huge family. Conchita suffers a concussion in a fall, which also triggers premature labour, making Jenny's first delivery a traumatic and difficult one which she must handle alone.
2 Episode 2 Philippa Lowthorpe Heidi Thomas 22 January 2012 10.47
New midwife Camilla Fortescue-Cholmondeley-Browne, nicknamed Chummy (Miranda Hart), arrives at the convent to begin work. She hails from an upper-class background and aspires to become a Christian missionary, but finds getting to grips with her new job difficult and Sister Evangelina a harsh critic. While struggling to learn to ride a bicycle (which the midwives use to make their rounds), she encounters local policeman Peter Noakes (Ben Caplan). Meanwhile, Jenny befriends Mary, a pregnant teenaged girl from Ireland, who was forced into prostitution upon her arrival in London but wants to try to make a better life for herself and her child. Ultimately, reflecting the morals of the era, Mary's baby is removed from her after the birth.
3 Episode 3 Philippa Lowthorpe Jack Williams 29 January 2012 10.66
While undertaking district nursing work, Jenny befriends Joe, an elderly former soldier who now lives alone in a run-down, roach-infested flat, in a tenement block which has been condemned. Jenny attempts to revive his spirits by helping him attend an upcoming reunion of his old regiment. Meanwhile, Trixie and Cynthia deal with the case of a woman in her forties who is upset at having become pregnant comparatively late in life, even though her husband is delighted at the prospect. It is later revealed that her reluctance to give birth is because she knows that the child will be dark-skinned, the result of a brief affair. When the child is born, her husband adores the baby nevertheless.
4 Episode 4 Jamie Payne Esther Wilson 5 February 2012 10.89
Jenny delivers a baby girl to Shirley Redmond, but soon afterwards the newborn disappears from her pram, leading to a tense and widespread search. Following a hunch, Jenny discovers the child was snatched by Mary, the Irish girl whom she had befriended previously and who was left traumatised by having her own child taken from her. At Jenny's request, the nuns of Nonnatus House petition the police not to prosecute the young runaway. Meanwhile, Cynthia deals with the case of a middle-aged headmaster and his young wife who are expecting their first child, but the couple are devastated when the wife is afflicted by eclampsia.
5 Episode 5 Jamie Payne Harriet Warner 12 February 2012 10.42
The nuns and midwives come to the assistance of their cleaner, Peggy, whose brother has been diagnosed with cancer. While caring for him, Jenny learns about how the siblings grew up together in a harsh workhouse and how they developed an incestuous relationship which has persisted ever since. Meanwhile, Fred has acquired a pig and plans to make money by selling its bacon, but he soon discovers the pig is pregnant and can no longer bring himself to raise it for food. He enlists the help of the midwives, who for once must assist in the birth of animals rather than humans.
6 Episode 6 Jamie Payne Heidi Thomas 19 February 2012 11.41
Sister Monica Joan, whose mental health has long been a concern, contracts pneumonia after roaming the streets at night in a state of emotional distress and is subsequently arrested for theft and put on trial. Meanwhile, Chummy's mother visits her to pass judgement on PC Noakes, whom the midwife is courting, but the aristocratic but now impoverished Lady Browne clearly does not approve of her daughter's relationship with a working-class man. Desperate to please her mother, Chummy decides that the only course of action is to end her relationship with the policeman. The other midwives convince her to change her mind, and the episode concludes with the couple's wedding

Cast[]

Nurses[]

Nuns[]

Others[]

Guest Stars[]

Characters introduced[]

  • Jennifer “Jenny” Lee, a newly qualified midwife.
  • Beatrix “Trixie” Franklin, a playful and upbeat nurse.
  • Cynthia Miller, a kind and thoughtful nurse.
  • Camilla “Chummy” Fortescue-Cholmely-Browne, a clumsy but diligent nurse.
  • Sister Julienne, the Sister superior of Nonnatus House.
  • Sister Monica Joan, a senile and cheeky nun.
  • Sister Evangelina, a harsh but caring nun.
  • Sister Bernadette, a kind and diligent midwife.
  • Fred Buckle, the Nonnatun’s handyman.
  • Dr. Turner, a dedicated general-practitioner.
  • Jimmy Wilson, a friend of Jenny’s.
  • Peter Noakes, a dedicated but caring Constable.
  • Mother Jesu Emmanuel, the Mother superior of O.S.R.N

Trivia[]

  • Series 1 was the only series to have less than eight episodes until Series 10 with seven episodes.
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