The Life and Times of Call the Midwife: The Official Companion to Series One and Two. Heidi Thomas

      JENNY AGUTTER OBE

      I was born in Somerset in the 1950s. My father told me recently that he was present at my birth, but as men were not allowed into the delivery room at the time it was more likely that I had arrived, been cleaned up, and presented to him as a neat mewling bundle. Although my parents did not share the same faith, they gave me a religious upbringing. Decades later my son was born on Christmas Day, which meant I had shifts of midwives attend his birth. I thought I knew about the period, religion and midwives and would be well prepared to play Sister Julienne in Call the Midwife, but I had a lot to learn.

      Time was set aside before filming the first series to learn how to appear adept at being midwives, particularly at handling newborn babies. Serendipitously, I met the real-life Julienne’s niece, who gave me valuable insight into her aunt’s personality and lent me some of her drawings and letters. She was a talented amateur watercolourist who always found time to send painted cards and notes to family and friends, never forgetting an anniversary or birthday. I discovered a deceptively strong-willed woman with a great sense of humour who enjoyed people with all their faults, always finding the best in them.

      The more I discover about the nuns who worked in the East End, the more my respect grows for these women whose faith gives them an unquestioning sense of purpose. They served their community, particularly the women, at the most vulnerable and intimate time in their lives. Childbirth is always a miracle and midwives are indeed unsung heroes.

      My parents went out of their way to make sure that my brother and I were not burdened with any of the concerns and fears they had grown up with. We owe so much to the indomitable spirit of those who lived through the turmoil of war, and worked hard to rebuild our world. The squalid and poverty-stricken area of Poplar and London’s docklands was heavily bombed and there was no money to repair the excessive damage or to re-house the many families who had lost their homes. Subsequently, the tenements that should have been torn down and rebuilt remained occupied and overcrowded.

      Because many of the characters in Call the Midwife are based on real people who lived and worked in the East End, all the cast feel a keen responsibility to serve them well. They are vividly depicted by Jennifer Worth in her bestselling memoirs, and brilliantly shaped for the series by Heidi Thomas, and have been a pleasure to get to know and play. You always hope that an audience will enjoy work that you feel proud of. I was delighted and amazed by the diverse audience we reached and find myself being stopped by people of all ages and backgrounds who want to let me know how the series has affected them.

      Costumes and set design play a vital part in creating the mood and helping the actor believe in what they are doing. The creative team working behind the scenes on Call the Midwife have captured the period meticulously, paying attention to every detail. As well as sourcing and recreating the furnishings of the time, the production team found small personal items from the fifties with which to adorn tables, cupboards and fireplaces: books filled with savings stamps, old postcards,

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