Call The Midwife

Easter approaches, and for the nuns and midwives of Nonnatus House it's as busy as ever as babies are born to myriad families across the borough. One such delivery brings with it its own set of shocks, as Patsy helps experienced mother Rhoda Mullucks give birth to a baby with severe deformities, with no clear explanation. As the mother refuses to reject her new-born child, the father struggles to come to terms with the harsh realities of his daughter's problems. Support and intervention from Sister Mary Cynthia, Dr Turner and Shelagh proves invaluable as they try to rebuild this loving family. Meanwhile, the new exercise craze has reached Poplar, led by Nonnatus' very own Trixie. As she begins teaching a keep-fit class, she's surprised when the exercises lead to a medical emergency for one of her group. The experience leads her to realise that women sometimes lack a basic understanding of their own bodies, and she aims to rectify it, one patient at a time.

Life in Poplar is as busy as ever, and the docks are kept busy with a flow of newly imported goods. But despite this, opportunities for work are waning, and Barbara experiences the biggest test of her career so far when a struggling dockworker’s wife is forced into a difficult decision about her impending birth. Meanwhile, keen to improve her language skills, Nurse Crane joins a Spanish class, where she meets widower Tommy; a like-minded gentleman who shares her passion for all things Mediterranean. Sister Evangelina deals with a young mother struggling to breastfeed, encouraging her to keep trying for the good of her newborn child. Her advice has serious consequences and Evangelina faces a difficult decision of her own.

A outbreak of typhoid erupts, and suspicion over who the carrier could be threatens to break apart a closely knit family. Sister Winfred faces a personal dilemma when a local teacher is revealed to be pregnant by a married man. When the woman takes matters into her own hands, Sister Winifred is forced to consider the role her own prejudices may have played. Meanwhile, Barbara inadvertently agrees to go to dinner with Tom, but is wracked with worry about how Trixie will react.

On secondment at a busy local hospital, Sister Julienne is impressed by the medical advances that are saving the lives of mothers and babies. But a traumatic birth raises moral questions for her which she struggles to answer. As the medical world is changing, so is society at large, with opportunities in education increasingly open to all. Despite his working class background, Ian is overjoyed to be accepted into university and embraces his chance to escape Poplar. But his plans appear to be in ruins when girlfriend Linda falls pregnant. Trixie and Tom help the family, who begin to break apart under the pressure of this unplanned pregnancy.

With modern advances starting to change things for the better, even medical professionals like Dr Turner and Shelagh are forced to consider their own lifestyles. As they fight for better respiratory health for their patients, Timothy realises the risks they are putting themselves under by continuing to smoke. Meanwhile, Fred and Violet’s relationship grows stronger when a back injury forces Violet to put her beloved shop in Fred’s care, with unforeseen consequences.   Across Poplar, another family unit appears to be broken before it’s begun, as new mother Roseanne’s past continues to haunt her, wreaking havoc on her family life. Nurse Crane is concerned about her mental state and has to draw on her own experiences to help.

When a spate of violent attacks on women brings a state of fear to Poplar, prostitute Lizzie is too ashamed of social judgement to report it. This allows a dangerous man to go free and impacts directly on the residents of Nonnatus House. It’s shame that also makes mother Thora conceal her young daughter Diane’s pregnancy. After an especially busy period, Shelagh and Timothy secretly organise to take Dr Turner on a long-overdue family camping holiday, but a freak summer thunderstorm threatens to dampen their enthusiasm.

The staff of Nonnatus House are divided on the release of the contraceptive pill. Meanwhile, Patsy tries to help a transient Bargee woman who is determined to give birth among her own community. As a huge storm threatens Poplar, Nurse Crane must help a mother in a post-natal emergency. The end of the storm brings the welcome return of Sister Evangelina, changed by her time away from the house.

As Poplar moves towards the season of goodwill, the time has come to accept the things that have passed and look to the future. Dr Turner is forced to do so when the cause of the recent spate of infant limb deformities is finally uncovered. Realising that his own prescriptions could have exacerbated the tragedy, he jumps into action in an attempt to prevent further damage. Meanwhile, Nonnatus House is thrown into disarray by a tragedy even closer to home. Although Sister Evangelina is back at work it is clear that her recent stroke has affected her badly, and that her health problems are not over. Elsewhere, Poplar matriarch Tessie is forced to accept that her grandchild has been conceived out of wedlock, but there's joy all round when the baby is born at the couple's wedding reception.

Go behind the scenes of Call the Midwife, Series 5.