> Buy the Series 1-2 boxset on Amazon.
Episode 1
Sunday 19 January 2014, 8pm
Following the closure of the former Nonnatus House, the nuns and midwives finally move into their new premises. The building is not the only new sight as Sister Winifred arrives from the Mother House. She is a warm-hearted, slightly innocent young woman.
Jenny is concerned about new mother Merle’s mental state and the welfare of her newborn who isn’t feeding properly. Dr Turner is concerned that it could be something more serious. Sister Monica Joan’s increasingly eccentric behaviour has been causing concern, but she is the one who finally solves this perplexing medical mystery.
Trying to adjust to her new role of housewife and mother, Chummy decides to spearhead an Open Day at the Community Centre, even attempting to secure attendance from a Royal guest! When the clinic opens, Shelagh sits pride of place as the receptionist.
After helping to deliver a neighbour’s baby, Chummy is left with an overwhelming sense of fulfillment and decides that midwifery is more than just a profession but a way of life she wishes to return to.
Episode 2
Sunday 26 January 2014, 8pm
Trixie’s feathers are ruffled when Jenny is promoted to Acting Sister by Sister Julienne, but their relationship is restored after Jenny faces a very difficult situation with one of her patients.
Doris is carrying a baby that does not belong to her husband. She knows he will find out, because the father is black, and has to accept that the only solution is for her baby to be adopted.
Cynthia is inspired when a lecture given by Dr Latham on the art of natural childbirth seems a perfect solution for one of her patients, Nellie, who is extremely anxious about giving birth. He agrees to attend one of her sessions at the clinic and, using everything she has learnt, Cynthia helps Nellie to experience a wonderfully peaceful and calm birth.
Alec and his friends try to persuade Jenny to go on a CND march with them but she declines for the sake of her patients, understanding that it’s ok for them to have different interests.
Episode 3
Sunday 2 February 2014, 8pm
Sister Julienne receives a phone call from Holloway Prison where the Salvation Army, who normally provide midwifery for female inmates, have been struck down with influenza.
She is called to care for the women and asks Trixie to help her. One of their patients, heavily pregnant Stella, confesses she’s worried social services will think she’s an unfit mother and take her baby. Although Stella is not honest at the start, Sister Julienne puts her reputation on the line to help mother and child from being separated.
Shelagh suffers heartbreak when a routine pregnancy check turns out to be something far more serious. She has some scar tissue, as a result of the TB, which has affected her reproductive organs and means it is unlikely she will ever be able to carry children.
It’s Chummy’s birthday and Fred manages to get hold of tickets for the gang to see My Fair Lady, but they are turned away at the box office because their tickets are forged. It’s Sister Evangelina who manages to recoup the money!
Alec tells Jenny he loves her but she can’t say it back and just wants things to stay the same.
Episode 4
Sunday 9 February 2014, 8pm
Jenny is concerned that a Jewish patient, Leah, is struggling to cope with her mother’s sickness and agoraphobia, on top of her own pregnancy.
Although her husband is offered a new job and home, Leah knows she can’t leave her mother behind after all they went through to survive the Holocaust. But, with the arrival of new life, it’s as if Mrs Rubin is reborn too and with a great deal of effort and help from Sister Winifred, she manages to step outside for the first time in 12 years.
Alec surprises Jenny by asking her to accompany him to Brighton for the weekend. Although she accepts at first, a chat with the girls makes Jenny think his intentions might not be so innocent after all and changes her mind. Later on, unbeknownst to Jenny, there’s a horrific accident on the building site which Alec has been overseeing and he is taken to hospital with severe injuries. As Jenny attends to Leah’s labour, a phone call comes through informing her that Alec has taken a turn for the worse. Jenny leaves immediately for the hospital.
Shelagh is bravely trying to cope with the news of her infertility and Sister Julienne suggests she joins the local choir. It’s a disaster since the choir master retired, so Shelagh decides to take it over, and help bring it back to life.
Episode 5
Sunday 16 February 2014, 8pm
Sister Julienne and Cynthia are busy packaging up donated clothing for charity. One parcel is destined to go to St Gideon’s, an institution which cares for those with disabilities and learning difficulties.
Jacob, who has cerebral palsy, oversees delivery of the clothing and steps in to help Sally, who has Down’s syndrome, select a beautiful cardigan to wear to the institution’s annual dance. She is delighted. After the dance, Sally’s mother finds her feeling unwell and takes her to Nonnatus House to be examined. The midwives discover that she is six months pregnant, which results in some difficult confessions and decisions.
Dr Turner suggests that Shelagh takes over the running of Nonnatus House so that an exhausted Sister Julienne can recuperate. This includes overseeing the arrangements for Sister Evangelina’s surprise Jubilee celebrations. But, the atmosphere turns sour when a lemon meringue pie goes missing. Sister Monica Joan is the prime culprit but it’s Sister Evangelina who seems secretly troubled. PC Noakes spots her concealing a parcel of food, which she reveals is for a mysterious figure from her past.
Nonnatus House also sees the arrival of new nurse, Patsy. Her no nonsense, hard-working attitude and sense of humour means she’s an immediate hit with the nuns and midwives.
Episode 6
Sunday 23 February 2014, 8pm
As the midwives set off for their rounds, they get waylaid by Tom, the local curate, and Fred, who are trying to spruce up an old bus outside Nonnatus House.
Tom is clearly keen on Trixie and asks if she would like to join him for a day of cricket. She happily accepts and goes back to work with a spring in her step. But, their date is disastrous and she is left feeling disappointed.
The combination of Timothy getting back to his old self, and discovering her own infertility, has made Shelagh think long and hard about what she wants next in life. She decides to talk to Dr Turner about adopting a baby.
Patsy appears to be struggling to adapt to the unpredictable and chaotic working life that midwifery brings. She upsets a young mother in the clinic which sees her being taken off midwifery and put on to the district rota. In the course of her work, she forms a bond with a docker, Maurice, and has to work tirelessly to find a diagnosis for his unusual symptoms which in turn reveals more about her own background.
Episode 7
Sunday 2 March 2014, 8pm
Cynthia is concerned during a visit as she feels new mother Pamela is overly anxious. Dr Turner arranges for a psychiatrist to visit but on their return, Pamela and the baby are missing.
Jenny returns from the Mother House much restored, and is seconded to The London. At first she is impressed with the facilities and efficiency but after a while begins to see cracks in the establishment.
Chummy visits London to meet her mother for tea but is upset to discover that Lady Browne has left Madeira permanently and walked out on her father, rendering herself penniless.
Trixie struggles to hide her disappointment when Tom cancels a date but they later manage to enjoy their first dance together.
Episode 8
Sunday 9 March 2014, 8pm
Jenny visits the home of first-time mum, Jeanette, and the two women strike up an instant rapport. Jeanette needs frequent visits during the labour and a friendship begins to grow between Jenny and Jeanette’s cousin, Philip.
Jeanette struggles to cope with her labour pains and Jenny herself is also exhausted. She asks Philip to call Nonnatus House to ask for gas and air to be brought, and also a new midwife. Jenny is upset that this is the first time she has been unable to see through a labour and begins to ponder her future as a midwife.
Meanwhile, Chummy discovers that Lady Browne has discharged herself from hospital and despairs over her mother’s illness. Tensions grow again as Lady Browne begins to rally after her surgery and this makes Chummy less than keen to visit her again. However, after finding her in great distress, PC Noakes decides to take Lady Browne to the only place he knows she’ll be looked after properly – their home. As the days pass and Lady Browne’s illness worsens, Chummy focuses on what she can do for her mother, as a nurse, together with the help of everyone at Nonnatus House.
Shelagh and Dr Turner are dealing with the fallout of the revelation of Dr Turner’s nervous breakdown which came to light during their adoption interview. They receive a letter informing them that they have been accepted as adoptive parents and they have been placed on a waiting list pending the advent of a suitable baby. They are surprised and overwhelmed by the news as it comes at a time when their relationship feels very fragile.
> Buy the Series 1-2 boxset on Amazon.
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