Original subtitles

MATURE JENNIFER: Which flavour lives on longest in the memory?

Is it the bitter or the sweet?

The sour surprise of a thing we did not ask for,

or the warmth of expectations met?

The pattern of the years embraces both the honeyed and the harsh.

I've passed!

In the dark days before the spring begins,

we can't foretell will distinguish the summer when it comes,

or who we will be when the snows return.

For now, we cling to ritual.

This is where we once were.

This is where we are now.

This is where, if the fates are willing, we will be again.

I can't tell you what a joy it is to have a pancake

with sugar and lemon again!

What do they eat them with in America?

Maple syrup.

And sometimes bacon.

That continent is a cauldron of all perversities!

I think it sounds quite delicious.

We could experiment with spam and...treacle.

We have both in the cupboard. Ugh.

If that is how you would like to celebrate passing your exams,

you have only to say.

It's wonderful news, lass.

Welcome to our profession!

SHE GROANS

Wonderful work. That's wonderful work, Maxine.

You forget how much it ruddy hurts!

Oh, Ste...

Steve?

Stevenson!

SHE GROANS

Do you need me?

Oh, when you do the solicitor's office,

they don't like the pine disinfectant in the toilet.

You have to use the...lemon!

I'm supposed to be doing her cleaning shift for her.

Do you have to leave now, Mr Drummond?

This baby's about to be born.

MAXINE GROANS

Oh, Reggie, love, you've even sliced the lemons!

Aren't you good?

I thought it would speed things up.

Well, no-one ought to be kept waiting on Pancake Day.

HE CHUCKLES

Oh, good on you.

You've been practising your new money.

It's easier than old money.

Now, that is what the government told us when they said that

we were going decimal.

Although, two weeks in, I don't think they've convinced

a single shopkeeper!

THEY CHUCKLE

MAXINE CRIES OUT

SHE PANTS

BABY CRIES

You have a little girl, Maxine.

Another girl... We got another girl!

I thought you wanted a boy.

What?

Never. Never, ever!

MAXINE LAUGHS

MAXINE SIGHS

BABY CRIES

Oh...

Hello.

Can I kiss her?

Go on.

I'll kiss you first.

Rosalind!

Oh. I didn't knock.

I thought it was too late.

The pancake batter's been standing all evening.

I was listening for the sound of your bike wheels.

Cyril! I'm in my uniform!

And you're in your slippers!

BOTH LAUGH

Good delivery?

Actually, it was inspiring.

Oh, good girls!

Bang on time.

Oh, that's nice. Isn't it, Christopher?

Lovely kisses to start the day.

He's getting better from having his kidney removed, isn't he?

Yes.

And we'll find out when he starts his chemotherapy soon.

Girls, don't forget the rota for wiping round the sink

in the downstairs bathroom.

We need to be extra careful of germs.

All Teddy ever does is feed the rabbits.

That's because chores need to be assigned

to people I can trust.

Patrick, are you up yet?

The coffee's on!

I'm on district duty for the rest of the week.

We need a thorough review of all our diabetic patients.

Sister Catherine, in honour of your first day

as a fully qualified midwife,

I have assigned you the antenatal round...

..entirely solo, unsupervised and independent!

I hope you've eaten a hearty breakfast, honey.

You'll be riding that bike for miles.

I've just added Thelma Cutler, 8 Lowman Street, to your list.

That poor lady who was sick on the floor in clinic?

Six months along, and her nausea is intractable.

It's rare, but I think the poor lass might be stuck with it

for the duration.

MUSIC ON TV

CHILDREN COUGH AND WHIMPER

PHYLLIS: District nurse!

Mr Kingsley, I found this little scamp

halfway down the stairs to the street.

Come here.

Oh, Terence!

HE CHUCKLES

If you keep doing this, I'm going to get you a collar and lead, huh?

Mr Kingsley, it's February.

It's cold.

He needs more on than one sock and a vest.

What is that child doing up at the window?

Ah, she likes looking down, seeing what's going on.

Edna!

I actually came from Dr Turner's practice to make sure that

everything was up-to-date with your diabetes medication.

We haven't seen you for a while.

Yeah, I'm under the hospital. I'm a serious case.

Edna!

CHILD CRIES

Hello, Nurse. Mrs Kingsley!

I didn't know you were expecting again.

Do you have any clothes for these children?

Loads.

Just need to sort the washing out.

DOORBELL RINGS

Hello! Midwife calling.

It's on the latch!

SHE RETCHES

Poor love.

There's nothing to bring up. It's just bile.

I'm not crying.

It's just...my eyes are watering.

I'm not crying...!

You don't have to be brave all the time, Thelma.

Sometimes it's all right to say, "This is hard."

It is hard.

I remember flushing my contraceptive pills down the toilet

when we decided to start trying for a baby.

I feel like I've done nothing

but stare down that toilet ever since.

Bed and a washing-up bowl are probably better.

THELMA CRIES OUT

SHE VOMITS

Oh...!

LABOURED: Oh, I've got another three months of this...

THELMA COUGHS

Lass, you need to attend clinic,

and you need to get your home ready for the new arrival.

Got it ready for the last arrival.

Still got the cot and bottles and everything.

There.

Hair brushed, lippy on.

That better?

Sometimes getting dressed and ready to face the day is half the battle.

Felt like a battle since we lost our eldest.

You've had a lot to come back from, Edna.

What I would advise is...

I don't need advice from someone out the ark.

The father's not doing his daily urine tests.

And that flat reeks to high heaven.

An army of lice on all four kiddies.

And the eldest should have been in school.

Faye Marie? Born November 1965.

And there was that little boy who died

when they were at a different practice.

I'm afraid we've missed St Cuthbert's diabetic clinic

for this week, Doctor.

Would you like to assess Mr Kingsley yourself?

Yes, as soon as possible.

I haven't seen Faye or Nicky for two years.

And there are gaps in their record before that.

We'd better tell social services. Mm.

Go on through. They're all in there.

Oh! Come on in, Nurse.

We're just having a Women's Lib meeting.

You don't mind me getting on with things while I'm feeding, do you?

Oh, no, not at all.

But once baby's finished on the breast,

I will need to examine you.

Fair enough. Take a pew.

Go on. You can join us.

It doesn't matter if we're supported or derided

on the women's march through London.

The most important thing is that we are seen and we are heard.

Does derided mean made fun of?

Yes, but it can also mean dismissed or belittled.

Women have been put down since time immemorial,

and we aren't going to put up with it any more!

Ooh, we ought to get that on a placard!

You might have to make it a bit shorter.

LAUGHTER

And the point me and all the other women on the Cleaners' Association

want to make - placards or no placards -

is that we want equal rights, equal status and equal pay.

Which is why we are all going to be marching

shoulder to shoulder through London.

THEY ALL MURMUR

Thelma seems to be living on bits of toast and boiled sweets, Doctor,

and she can scarcely keep those down.

If she ends up clinically dehydrated,

we'll send her to St Cuthbert's.

I've not seen many cases of true hyperemesis,

but every time it's the lowest I've ever seen a pregnant woman brought,

mentally as well as physically.

There's not really any medication for it, is there?

Not after thalidomide.

There will never be any medication for it after thalidomide.

A political meeting at the bedside of a newly delivered mother?

I'm amazed she had the energy.

It was as though all the women were getting energy from each other.

I've never seen anything like it.

They even gave her some homework.

Show them your book, child.

The Female Eunuch, by Germaine Greer.

What a...a very striking cover.

What I want to know is - where do they come from,

all these educated ladies, campaigning side by side

with cleaners from the East End?

I think mostly Hampstead,

although there's no doubt the movement's spreading.

Women of all classes have always been involved

in women's advancement.

My granny used to finish a factory shift in Paisley

and go out campaigning.

Will you come on the march with Joyce and I, Phyllis?

Perhaps I should come to the meeting.

I've no objection to finding out more.

I think that's extremely public-spirited.

The sisters and I look forward to hearing all about it.

CAR HORN TOOTS

You forgot the nit lotion. Oh, I'm sorry.

I must have got distracted putting a new diabetes kit together

for Mr Kingsley.

I'd deal with him myself, but I've two new cases of venous ulcer.

And I think the family, as a whole,

might respond better to a younger person.

Thank you. BICYCLE BELL DINGS

So, the projected budget details are in the blue folder,

but we're still missing the signed returns from the Board of Health.

I'm afraid you've drawn a dreadfully short straw.

I have assigned myself nursery duties in the maternity home.

Four delicious little newborns, including twins.

I'll be down at feeding time.

And we agreed that secular staff make better inroads

with the council.

Go. Leave me to get on.

SHE KNOCKS ON DOOR

TV: ...asking you to fill in the 1971 census,

an army of men and women with light-blue satchels...

Honey, I'm the nurse.

Are your mum and dad at home?

TV: There is nothing to fear from completing it...

What are you doing with those pills?

These are saccharine tablets!

They're for putting in your tea.

What are you doing with them, child?

GIRL WHIMPERS

Is that all you have to eat?

Your daughter should be at school!

And all of your children are hungry.

They need to be deloused - but first they need to be fed.

Who gave you leave to come in here and start shouting odds, eh?!

My wife has been diagnosed with depression.

I'm going to go to the corner shop and buy a loaf,

some margarine and some jam.

And when I get back, we're going to discuss a plan of action.

WOMAN: Hello. And how may I help you?

I'm calling on behalf of Nonnatus House, Hendy Street,

with regard to our projected budget from June of this year.

Please hold for a moment.

Of course.

MAN: Would that be my friend, Lady Aylward?

Yes.

I wasn't expecting to be put through to you, Dr Threapwood.

I asked to be connected directly should you call.

I feel I should forewarn you of certain developments.

Now?

It would be expedient to meet within the week.

Come on. Nurse Highland!

Mr Kingsley refused to co-operate with the diabetes protocols.

And I'm taking the children to the cleansing station.

There's no way of heating water in that flat.

And I think the youngest has scabies, as well as lice.

I'd better take a look at them.

Come on.

CHILD CRIES Yeah...

I know.

THELMA GROANS

This bellyache's worse than the sickness, Sister.

If I could just go...go properly.

You know what I mean?

If you're dehydrated, that might well lead to constipation.

But I'll have a feel of your tummy just to make sure

things are as they should be.

THELMA GULPS I'll be back.

THELMA VOMITS

I am putting in a complaint as soon as I get back to the surgery.

That cleansing station needs to be open at all times,

not on request or by appointment!

I've never seen a family in a worse state than this.

I've thought that so many times.

SHE RETCHES

KNOCK AT DOOR May I come in?

LABOURED: Yeah...

Have your bowels moved at all, Thelma?

I'm going to get you back to bed with a hot water bottle.

Then I'm calling Dr Turner.

There's nothing he can give me.

Don't waste his time.

The surgery's three minutes' walk away,

and we won't be wasting his time

if we ask him to pop round and rule out early labour.

THELMA GROANS

We need to take care of you, Thelma, and your baby.

Ah...!

I wish there was no baby sometimes.

SHE VOMITS

CHILDREN BABBLE

We're going to have to get them taken into care.

It may take a few days to implement, but...

..this is a clear case of neglect.

I think it's worse than neglect.

There's bruises on the backs of the children.

And I need you to look between Nicky's toes.

I think there's a cigarette burn there.

THELMA CRIES OUT

SHE PANTS

Something's fallen into the toilet.

Can I see? Mm.

Oh... Was it the baby?

Yes, sweetheart. It was.

THELMA GROANS

Don't look.

Sweetheart, we need to get you up.

It's all right, Thelma. I'm with you.

I'm going to leave you, but only for a moment.

I need to fetch my bag.

DOOR OPENS

BABY CRIES WEAKLY

SHE GASPS

I'm afraid I always fear the worst when Dr Threapwood

starts taking an interest in our fortunes.

All I could do was arrange to meet him at his office next week.

Baby! 28 weeks' gestation.

Delivered into the toilet!

Still breathing!

Dr Turner! Dr Turner!

He was breathing.

DR TURNER: What's happened? Premature baby.

Six months' gestation.

Get the flying squad.

Sweetie, whose baby is it?

Thelma Cutler, 8 Lowman Street.

MILLICENT: Kenilworth Row.

Yes, the infant is still showing signs of life.

Placenta is still attached.

The skin... The skin is like tissue paper.

We've lost respiration.

Come on!

Come on, little warrior.

It's all right, Thelma.

Everything's going to be all right.

Where did Sister Catherine go?

She took your baby to the maternity home, Thelma.

Because it was dead?

No.

Because it's alive.

Is it a boy or a girl?

I don't know.

We're taking it to Imperial Hospital.

It's the only place in London with any expertise

when they're this early, and this small.

We haven't weighed him.

The weight was the least of our concerns.

Fingers crossed it survives the journey across town.

Blue lights all the way.

Er, it...

..is a little boy.

TV: ...three, four. Ready to knock?

Turn the lock.

Play School!

I wouldn't generally advise taking the bull by the horns

in such a way, Nurse Highland.

But in this case, it's as well you did.

It's the indifference that angers me.

Mm.

The indifference and the laziness,

as well as the cruelty.

Life is more of a struggle for some people than it is for others.

We're fortunate.

Our struggle is only with our feelings.

DOORBELL RINGS

Good afternoon, Mr Kingsley. Have you got my kids?

Your children are all here.

They have been receiving hygiene treatment.

We're taking them home.

I suggest you come inside and speak to Sister Veronica.

As a health visitor, she is the best person to advise.

As their father, I'm best placed to advise the lot of you!

JOYCE: You do not have the right to enter private premises

in this manner!

And you do not have the right to abduct my children!

Edna! Edna...

Nurse Highland brought your children here because they were

in desperate need of bathing.

And now we have found bruises that will have to be explained.

You'll have to prove they weren't inflicted here.

Huh? I know the way your sort operate!

And we know our rights!

Edna!

Come on!

BABY CRIES

Get.

Come on.

CHILD WHIMPERS

And thank you, Eleanor, for reminding us that women

are not just discriminated against in the professional field.

They are also discriminated against at home!

MURMURS OF AGREEMENT

The time has come for us to declare our self-respect

and to claim a full identity,

and to get equal pay for equal work.

Yes! Equal work!

Before we move on to discussing the logistics of the march,

Maxine will highlight the things we're going to do to publicise it.

Namely, the one-day strike on Saturday

and the exhibition of bra burning.

First, I'd like to open the meeting to the floor

in case anyone has anything to say.

I would like to say two things.

Thank you very much to the Women's Liberation Movement,

and it's high time!

I would like to say thank you, too,

to the women who welcomed me round this table tonight,

to the women who showed me that this fight is necessary,

and to the women who I will stand with

when we shout this from the rooftops.

CHEERING

KNOCK AT DOOR

Enter.

You need not concern yourself with your attire.

The Lord gave you those tresses.

And if they are His delight, they do not offend me.

I have prepared you a beverage...

..out of concern for the day you have endured.

But I find I have left it in the kitchen.

I'm happy just to have your company.

TEARFULLY: It was a terrible day.

I have seen its like many times.

An infant lost, or maimed

or...not shaped well.

I keep turning it over and over again in my mind.

Did I do all I should have done?

Did I do anything to make things worse?

Oh, I recall that unabating voice.

The doubt that pursues you home and seeks to be your bedfellow.

But say this to yourself...

..tonight a child breathes.

Tonight a mother lives.

Tomorrow you will resume your tasks.

But what is my task now?

The child is born.

It has arrived.

But the mother is still on the journey...

..and you must bring her home.

I've never once doubted the importance of female solidarity.

But...for women of my age, it went unspoken.

If we'd had a motto, it would have been "deeds, not words".

We had a war to be getting on with.

But even in the war, too many women were forced into limiting roles

because of damaging stereotypes.

That's why burning bras is so important.

It's about the rejection of frivolity.

A good bra is a very practical item

and not frivolous at all.

Trixie, tell me you're not going to be joining in

with all that carry-on.

Well, perhaps not with my current bras.

I bought them at a New York lingerie department.

But definitely something from my back catalogue.

You were quite quiet in the meeting, Joyce.

Didn't you enjoy it?

I go quiet when I think - and I was doing a lot of thinking.

So was I.

I kept thinking, "My husband had the power

"to run our finances into the ground without telling me."

My husband beat me so badly, I left him without telling him.

But what I learned tonight is that,

it's not what men have done to us that matters.

It's what we do as women going forward.

That I can't argue with. Mm.

And that's it.

We're ready for your outing.

Shoes on. Coats at the ready.

And I've got your washing-up bowl.

I don't need it, Kev. I haven't been sick since yesterday.

I keep trying to picture the baby.

I never even saw his face.

The sooner we get you to the hospital,

the sooner you can have a proper look.

You'll feel better then, I promise you.

I can't believe the ideas Women's Lib are coming up with.

A one-day strike?

It will draw attention to the march at a local level

and give women who can't attend the chance to demonstrate their views.

They tried it last year in America.

Women withdrew their labour right across the country.

No cooking, no ironing, no childcare.

And there were no reports of any deaths.

THEY LAUGH

Prescriptions, signed by Dr Turner,

all present and correct.

Oh, thank you. We're very low on pethidine.

And Mrs Kumar's penicillin was becoming urgent.

It's good of you when you're so busy.

Well, I might be a lady of leisure tomorrow

if I join in with this strike.

Will you be participating?

No, Mrs Turner. I've decided to forego the pleasure.

Why is that?

Because I come from a generation of women that got on with it.

No histrionics, no sloganeering.

And our foundation garments stayed intact.

Baby weighed in at exactly two pounds and half an ounce.

We've had a couple of two-pounders do very well in the past year.

The doctors here are very skilled, and learning all the time.

MONITORS BEEP

What's all the bleeping?

I think those are the transistorised monitors.

There's one attached to every incubator.

If a baby stops breathing, or there's a problem with

the heartbeat, an alarm goes off.

That's correct.

Here he is, Baby Cutler.

We can update the labels once you've picked a Christian name.

Oh, we like James, didn't we?

James Kevin or James Paul.

Look at him, Thelma. He's beautiful.

He's gorgeous.

MONITOR BEEPS RAPIDLY

NURSE: Baby Smith has collapsed.

She needs a chair.

I can't look at him. I'm sorry...!

It's all right, Thelma.

You only gave birth yesterday.

But did I give birth?

There was nothing that felt like a contraction.

I didn't even realise that I pushed.

My body just...

..let go of him.

I failed.

You didn't fail.

You were valiant throughout your whole pregnancy.

It wasn't even a whole pregnancy.

He doesn't even look like a baby.

It's my fault.

It's my fault, because I said I wished that there wasn't one.

But Baby James is doing well.

DOOR CLOSES

Oh, Lady Aylward!

What an unexpected pleasure!

Are you looking for anything in particular?

Yes. Support for the Women's Liberation march on March 9.

Oh! Women's Lib!

Would you want me as Violet Buckle, haberdasher,

or me in my mayoral robes?

Either, or both.

Violet Buckle, haberdasher,

is a highly successful businesswoman,

and the Mayor of Tower Hamlets

is a trailblazing female politician.

But I've never thought of myself as liberated.

Probably because you've been too busy.

It's not necessarily men holding women back, Violet.

But if we don't stand shoulder to shoulder with each other,

we're never going to realise just how strong we are.

I'll come...but only as myself.

The aldermen might object if I wear the mayoral chain.

BICYCLE RATTLING

What happened to your moped?

It fell foul of budgetary cuts.

Do you need to brief me on anything before we head in?

The gap in their records is because they were out of the area

when their son died.

I'll telephone Greenwich, but we still don't know what happened.

It's nice to see the children eating a cooked meal at lunchtime, Edna.

Well, Faye gets a hot dinner at school,

and I want you to see I'm not incompetent.

Social services are not your enemy.

We're here to help, especially with the children.

You were meant to help when Martin died.

Hmm? Fat lot of use you were then.

Ian, do you want to tell us what happened to Martin?

He had a fit.

That's all. Babies have fits all the time.

Martin wasn't a baby.

He was four and a half.

You're just setting a trap. Nobody's setting a trap.

But we do need to understand why there are injuries on your children.

Then look at how we can help you get back on your feet as a family.

We've heard that before...

..when they took the kids away from us after Martin died.

Took us six months to get 'em back!

You are not having them this time!

# Blessed are the midnight riders

# For in the shadow of God they sleep

# Blessed are the huddled hikers

# Staring out at falling rain

# Wondering at the retribution

# In their personal acquaintance with pain

# Blessed are the blood relations

# Of the young ones who have died

# Who had not the time or patience

# To carry on this earthly ride

# Rain will come and winds will blow

# Wild deer die in the mountain snow

# Birds will beat at heaven's... #

Ticking away like a little clock.

Just the way I like to hear it.

You have obviously been doing everything right.

Not many people say that sort of thing to me.

Edna, Doctor and I were wondering if you'd like to come and have a look

at the ward and delivery room while you're here.

We thought you'd like to mull over having the baby with us,

instead of at St Cuthbert's.

I've decided against St Cuthbert's now.

I'm having a home birth.

This is your sixth pregnancy, Edna.

And you just told me I've been doing everything right.

I'm not spending one night away from my kids.

This will be a home birth, so you'd best get that in your heads!

I used to work as a paediatric nurse, Sister,

and I know the quest to heal can cause terrible suffering.

Baby James was born at 28 weeks.

He is considered viable.

But what does viable mean?

Does it mean he'll go home as a happy, healthy baby?

Or could he be brain damaged and blind?

We're working to regulate the amount of oxygen these babies receive.

Now, we know too much can affect their eyesight.

Sister Wilmott, do you share that information with the parents?

We tell the parents what they need to know

when they have to make decisions.

James's mother is in no fit state to make any decision.

She struggles to even believe he is her child.

And without that bond, how can she choose what's right?

Sometimes the parents don't choose.

Sometimes the problems overwhelm the babies,

and they simply declare themselves.

We can't help them all.

But you CAN help the mothers.

Or at least, you could help me to help this one.

I'm sorry, Mr Robinson.

Sister Veronica has left for her district visits.

CYRIL: The Kingsley family's case notes have come through.

They have more details on the death of Martin.

Good. I don't like having a child merely marked as "deceased"

in our records.

It seems to speak of want of care.

Martin died of oxygen deprivation,

from a seizure that was only witnessed by his parents.

The postmortem noted old bruises on his upper arms and back,

and a cigarette burn was found between his toes.

Were the parents ever charged?

No, they were not.

There was thought to be insufficient evidence of child battery

or neglect, and the police fell back on a compassionate approach.

Will surveillance of the family increase now?

It's 5:10 on a Friday.

But, yes, it will.

Hands through the portholes... like that.

Excellent.

And then just clean his little face with the damp cotton wool.

What if it's sore with that big plaster on it?

I swear he's smiling.

It's like his lips just turned up a little bit at the corners.

MONITOR BEEPS RAPIDLY Stand back.

He's stopped breathing!

CHRISTOPHER LAUGHS

That's the three of us off and ready for our big adventure.

Sister Veronica will collect Christopher.

She's going to read to him from some Cantonese storybooks.

Oh, that's great.

Teddy and me are going to do an Airfix model.

But we're on strike, Patrick.

In preparation for the women's march next Saturday.

And I'm all for it.

Some of the newspaper coverage has been really thought-provoking.

But, Daddy, you need to do the ironing and washing.

I was in the Army!

Ironing holds no fears.

Have you left us a casserole or something?

That's not how a women's strike works.

HAIRSPRAY WHOOSHES

What's this, Vi?

It's a list.

It's a list of everything that I usually do on a Saturday and Sunday

in order to keep this household on the straight and narrow.

But it starts with, "Run a haberdasher's shop."

And then it says, "Batch bake."

And then it says, "Clean all the shoes."

And then it says, "And my handbags."

I mean, how do you fit all this in an afternoon?

You've got more handbags than the Queen Mum.

I do your shoes, then I do my shoes and my bags

while the batch bake's in the oven.

Why do you think I close the shop at 4:00 at weekends?

A home and a family do not run themselves, Fred Buckle.

But I can't run the haberdashery.

I don't know the names of all the different types of elastic.

And people come in and ask for, erm...

..female things.

I'll stick with the paper shop.

Cyril's running the paper shop.

He's strongly in support of feminist ideals.

I'm sorry we're having to do this here.

I do need to ask you a few questions

about bleeding and what goes on in the bathroom.

But we can do that before Kevin gets back with the tea.

Kevin keeps pushing me to agree to give James a tracheotomy.

Have the consultants said it's for the best?

They've said it's best for his chance of survival.

How do we know it's the best thing for him?

A tracheotomy will prevent James

from suffering so many collapses, Thelma.

They'll cut into his throat from the outside

and stick a plastic nozzle in.

He'll have to breathe through his neck.

How's that better?

Why is it better to just keep him surviving...

..even if he may never see?

Even if his brain is going to be damaged?

We don't know any of those things are going to happen, Thelma.

And we don't know that they won't.

You know more than me, Sister Catherine,

but when it comes to a baby like James...

..nobody knows anything.

TEDDY SIGHS

Hey, keep it up.

There's probably a Cub badge for potato peeling.

It's taken you an hour to do two shirts!

INDISTINCT CHATTER

Yoohoo! Ah, Trixie!

You made it. Yes.

Jonty's nanny said she'd go on strike next week instead.

We worked it out between us. Compromise is power.

Are you sure that's right?

When I have arguments, I like to win them!

Oh, Mrs Turner, you are quite the dark horse!

Whoever invented new pence wants hanging.

I've had to charge people in decimal for things

that I'm measuring in yards!

And that's before you start talking about two-ply wool and press studs.

Oh, flaming Nora!

Oh...!

THEY COUGH

Flaming scones!

Being a man is terrible.

AMBULANCE BELL RINGS

What happened?

She fell out the window!

Where are her parents? I don't know.

Do you know the child, sir?

Yes. I'm her social worker.

Excuse me, love.

You haven't got such a thing as a compact mirror, have you?

I'm sorry. It's not a thing I generally carry around.

I suppose not.

I've got five minutes before a photographer arrives.

Me and my Nina are going to be in the papers.

We're taking her home.

14 months we've been in here.

14 months?

She must have been in the wars.

Not half. Born at 28 weeks.

Bowel surgery, tracheotomy.

They thought she had a brain bleed.

Now all we're waiting for is a set of ankle splints,

and we're off!

Is my lippy all right? For the photograph.

It's a bit smudged. Oh... Here.

Oh, ta. I owe you a favour.

DOOR CLOSES

I told the consultant you'll need a statement.

But he confirmed that Faye has a fractured femur and collarbone,

and concussion.

The police will need a copy, too.

They also found she had catastrophically low blood sugar.

She seems to have swallowed prescription drugs,

or been fed them.

Why would anyone feed a child prescription drugs?

Because low blood sugar makes a child dozy and compliant.

I don't know...is the honest answer.

Just as I don't know how anyone blessed...

blessed with such beautiful children

could treat them with such hideous contempt!

Millicent, do you think I'm barking up the wrong tree

resisting all this Women's Lib talk?

Well, not everyone is in support.

I've heard quite a number of ladies saying, "I'm not a feminist, but..."

I just don't like the gimmicky way it's all been put together.

I would always counsel against objecting to a book

because of its cover.

PHYLLIS GASPS Millicent!

You're reading The Female Eunuch?

The authoress makes a series of very sensible points,

notably, regarding female sexuality.

It's a thing I spent much of my life being ashamed of.

I never did, oddly enough,

PHYLLIS CHUCKLES It's like being a vegetarian,

as though I was wired to run counter to the general view.

But why am I being like this?

Why am I picking holes in something

that young people are full of fervour for?

Do we perhaps fear losing our place in the scheme of things?

Two weeks ago, I was standing outside the draper's

on Inkerman Street,

and there was a blouse in the window with a psychedelic pattern.

Jewel tones.

But it was such a beguiling design.

And I was looking at it, and I thought...

"I will never wear that blouse."

Why?

There's no harm in breaking out a bit, fashion-wise.

Phyllis, there is no harm in breaking out.

And if we don't, we'll be left behind.

You're not wrong.

Psychedelic pattern or no psychedelic pattern.

HAMMERING ON DOOR

OUTWITH: Police!

Don't answer it.

KNOCKING PERSISTS

Mr Kingsley? Mrs Kingsley?

Because of concerns about the welfare of your children,

a Place of Safety Order has been issued.

We have come to remove them.

Don't let them take them, Ian.

They're our kids.

They're not going anywhere. They're terrified.

Mr Kingsley, we'll force entry if you do not cooperate!

As well as the police, I have Sister Veronica with me.

The children will be well taken care of.

KNOCKING ON DOOR Mr Kingsley?

Mrs Kingsley?

This is uncalled for!

Ian Kingsley and Mary Kingsley,

I'm arresting you on suspicion of child neglect and cruelty.

This is what they wanted all along!

We've already lost one of our children!

Doesn't that mean anything to you?

It means a very great deal, Mrs Kingsley.

And I wish that we didn't have to do this.

EDNA SOBS

CHILD CRIES

Honestly, love, you wouldn't have given a tuppence ha'penny

for her chances in the first few weeks,

in old money or new money.

She's as bonnie as anything now.

Look at her chubby little cheeks, Thel. Mm.

How is she with normal food?

After all those months with the tube up her nose?

Oh, she's great with chocolate pudding.

Not so good with her greens, though.

But as long as it's all mushed up,

she's just like any other baby, really.

Do you ever feel like any other mum, Bernice?

I feel like HER mum.

It's not so different from having any other child.

You can't turn your back on them.

Can't work out what they're thinking.

Can't picture the future.

The doctors never gave us any guarantees.

No baby gets a guarantee, really.

Guarantees are for things you buy in shops.

And we're lucky.

We get to call our babies miracles.

BANGING Oi!

Yes?

My waters have broken.

And I'm not going to hospital!

Edna Kingsley is in labour.

Screaming blue murder and refusing to get into the ambulance.

Police said she wants one of us to attend,

and I'm first on the call board.

Whatever's gone on in the past... or is yet to come...

..she is still a mother.

Let me know if it's a boy or a girl, and I shall add it to my notes.

I'll get my bag.

SHE SNIFFLES

HE WOLF WHISTLES

MEN CHUCKLE

I'm afraid this isn't good news, Lady Aylward.

And it can't be countermanded,

even with all the womanly wiles at your disposal.

A simple statement of facts will suffice, Dr Threapwood.

Very well.

By 1974, all medical service provision across the country

will be taken out of council hands

and given direct to the National Health.

But the Order have worked hand in glove with the National Health

since its inception!

And this council has been the go-between.

Without our future involvement,

there can be no more cajolery, no more persuasion.

It is over.

A great deal could happen between now and 1974.

The new rules will be phased in from this year.

And there is one I know the sisters won't accept.

EDNA WAILS

Less noise, Edna, lass.

Save your strength.

I want it to be all right, Nurse!

You're on the home straight, I promise.

There's no reason to suppose anything will be amiss.

I don't mean with the baby.

I mean with everything!

Come on.

Suck on that barley sugar

and concentrate on what's happening here and now.

They can't take a newborn off you, can they?

Edna...

EDNA SOBS AND WAILS

Save your energy for this last big push.

EDNA GROANS

Come on, now.

Steady push.

Steady...

Steady push.

BABY CRIES

You have a beautiful little daughter, Edna.

BABY CRIES

There we go.

BABY SETTLES

Martin looked just like that when he was born.

You forget...

..when we haven't got a photo of him.

We never had a camera.

I'm going to give you the best life.

Do you hear that?

The best life.

Hello, you.

Oh!

Oh, Mr Franklin.

So good of you to go out of your way.

Oh, what sort of friend would I be if I didn't tip up

with a cup of Rosie when the chips are down?

Dr Threapwood is right.

We will not accept that diktat.

But it is a diktat, Sister Julienne.

You aren't going to be allowed to wear the habit any more!

My sisters and I have dressed like this since the inception

of the Order.

It is the outward expression of the reason why we do this.

The powers-that-be don't give two hoots why you do this.

They just want it done.

If Nonnatus House is to survive at all,

we are all going to be National Health employees.

And the new rules state that we will have to dress as such or...

..leave the system.

We have never been a part of the system.

We have rejoiced in that.

Dr Threapwood said he'd like your response by the end of this month.

I think it ties in with the end of the financial year.

Who is this man to lay down the law in this way?

This decision will be driven by prayer,

not by the fiscal calendar,

therefore, I will choose the appropriate date.

We will tell him what we are going to do on August 31,

which happens to be the feast day of St Raymond Nonnatus.

People think I talk too much.

I don't. I know.

And I know you listen.

I've never seen, "Here she goes again,"

writ large on your face.

But...

The thing I think people don't understand

about the life I chose...

..is much of it is silence.

I understand.

It isn't about when we can't speak.

It's about...

..what we can never say.

What we can never name, because...

..that might expose us, lay us bare.

HE EXHALES

Yes.

And we can't afford that, can we?

No.

Because, really...

..who wants the whole wide world to hear them howling?

I don't think I can silence the howling any more.

What is it you want, Veronica?

If we're going to drop the "Sister" bit...

..I think you'd better call me Beryl, my real name.

You can call me Geoffrey, if it's not too much of a stretch.

What is it you want?

I want a child.

I want a child of my own...

..to hold in my arms

and keep safe...

..and cherish always.

I want a child before it becomes impossible.

I feel like he ought to have a special little nightie on

if he's to have an operation.

I feel like his dad should have had the day off work.

James's first year is going to be a long haul, Thelma.

Keeping up a normal routine is going to be good for everyone.

I'm good at routines.

Before I fell pregnant, I used to dream I'd have all the nappies

on the line every Monday.

Dreams are a lovely thing to have.

Sometimes we just have to dream for longer than we thought.

He'll be a baby for longer, too.

I think I might like that.

Thank you.

DOOR OPENS

Have you come to take James for his tracheotomy?

I'm his mother.

What's this?

Something to wear on Saturday, perhaps.

MILLICENT GASPS

On your marks. Get set!

You want a sausage roll?

I'll have one.

I'll tell you what, pal...

..I love our lady folk, all of them,

but this liberation lark... it's hard work.

THEY GIGGLE

I went for cotton. I thought it would burn longer.

I brought this one from discounted stock.

Nobody's buying long line these days.

I relented.

Bergdorf Goodman's finest.

Girls! Where did you get that from?

The charity cupboard.

Provenance...uncertain.

Sisterhood takes many forms.

I think we should celebrate them all.

MATURE JENNIFER: There will always be things that we cannot change,

even when there is the will and the belief that we should try.

Change chooses its own seeds,

sows them in its own selected soil.

CHEERING

Our task is to water them

and not trample green shoots underfoot.

In the spring of 1971,

there was so much that was altered.

There were endings and there were beginnings.

There was uncertainty and there was confidence.

There was rage and there was love.

And so, we marched together

into all the things we did not know,

hoping and also fearing things would never be the same.

You may begin!

I started out in Bombay,

and then I worked my way right up to Ladakh.

Find a way to make a living!

I can't see any gas.

It'll be in the delivery room, won't it?

So many mothers looking after him.

I'm telling you, Nurse, the one thing this baby isn't

is a Protestant.

More tea, Mrs Clifford? Oh, yes, please.

I didn't expect Earl Grey.