The return of BBC One's beloved period drama Call The Midwife took a deeply troubling turn this weekend, leaving its audience shaken by a brutally honest depiction of child neglect and abuse.
A Harrowing Home Visit
In the opening episode of the new series, Nurse Joyce Highland, portrayed by Renee Bailey, made a routine visit to the Kingsley family home in Poplar. What she discovered was far from routine. The four young Kingsley children were found living in filthy conditions and going unfed, clear victims of severe parental neglect.
Despite Nurse Joyce's efforts to help the parents improve the situation, the case rapidly escalated. With the children's welfare at immediate risk, she was compelled to remove them to the safety of Nonnatus House. This action prompted an aggressive confrontation when the children's father arrived with their pregnant mother, demanding their return.
Sister Monica Joan's Brave Stand
In a tense showdown, it fell to the elderly and usually frail Sister Monica Joan, played by Judy Parfitt, to stand up to the bullying patriarch. Her calm but firm resistance provided one of the episode's few moments of moral courage.
The narrative plunged into even darker territory when it was revealed one child had fallen from a window after being returned to their parents' care. Shockingly, it then transpired that other children had previously died in the same household. This tragic revelation forced social services to permanently remove the surviving children from their parents.
Viewer Reaction and a Parallel Plot
The distressing scenes prompted a wave of reaction on X, formerly Twitter, where viewers shared their anguish. One fan described the episode as 'distressing', labelling the father a 'horrible bully and a thug'. Another poignantly noted, 'Child poverty. Child neglect. Nothing has changed.' A third viewer, referencing professional experience in 1970s childcare, said the storyline 'hit a nerve'.
The episode also featured a secondary plot following a women's liberation movement demonstration in Poplar. Sister Catherine assisted a mother suffering from hyperemesis, whose baby was born prematurely in traumatic circumstances. In further developments, Trixie Aylward, played by Helen George, warned Sister Julienne (Jenny Agutter) that the nuns may need to become full NHS employees.
Star's Dramatic Transformation for New Role
In related news, Call The Midwife star Ella Bruccoleri is set to appear in the new BBC period drama The Other Bennet Sister. The actress, known for her role as Sister Frances, undergoes a remarkable transformation, swapping her nun's wimple and habit for Regency-era gowns and spectacles to play Mary Bennet.
The series, marking the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen's birth, retells Pride and Prejudice from Mary's perspective. It features a cast including Ruth Jones and Richard E Grant as Mr and Mrs Bennet. The ten-part drama, filmed in Wales, follows Mary's journey of self-discovery in London, away from the shadow of her sisters.
Call The Midwife continues to air on Sundays at 8pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
