This moving, intimate, funny and true-to-life series, based on the best-selling memoirs of the late Jennifer Worth, tells colorful stories of midwifery and families in London’s East End in the 1950s. Jenny Lee, a young woman raised in the wealthy English countryside, has chosen to become a nurse and now, as a newly qualified midwife, has gone to work in the poorest area of the city. Attached to an order of nursing nuns at Nonnatus House, Jenny is part of a team of women who minister to expectant mothers, many of whom give birth at home in appalling conditions. The drama follows Jenny as she meets her patients and learns to love the people who live in the East End. Starring newcomer Jessica Raine as Jenny, the cast includes Jenny Agutter, Pam Ferris, Miranda Hart and Judy Parfitt. Three other new faces, Helen George, Bryony Hannah and Laura Main complete the regular ensemble cast. Vanessa Redgrave provides the narration as the mature Jenny.
WATCH HIGHLIGHTS
Sunday, October 7 at 8:00 p.m. Episode Two
As Jenny Lee settles into her role, there is a new arrival at Nonnatus House — Chummy. A welcome pair of extra hands, Chummy sets about showing her worth, but her overwhelming desire to please and her inability to ride a bike prove obstacles in gaining the respect of Sister Evangelina. Meanwhile, a chance encounter with Mary, a pregnant young runaway, forces Jenny to see an unfamiliar, darker side of life.
Sunday, October 14 at 8:00 p.m. Episode Three
Jenny is placed on the district nursing roster for a few weeks, to extend her experience of community practice. During her rounds, she attends to Joe, a gentle old soldier, and a friendship forms. At the antenatal clinic, Trixie and Cynthia enroll Winnie as a new patient. In her 40s, Winnie, who thought her days of diapers and babies were long gone, seems upset by her pregnancy. By contrast, her husband, Ted, is overjoyed. However, at the baby's birth, everyone gets a little surprise.
Sunday, October 21 at 8:00 p.m. Episode Four
A baby girl, recently delivered by Jenny, is snatched from her baby carriage, causing great anguish to her family and uniting the local community as they search for the missing child. Meanwhile, Cynthia witnesses another type of loss as she assists in the case of soon-to-be parents David and Margaret. Newly married and excited about their future, everything is put in jeopardy when Margaret develops eclampsia.
Sunday, October 28 at 8:00 p.m. Episode Five
Jenny finds herself for once not involved in the beginning of life, but at its end. When Nonnatus House cleaner Peggy’s brother Frank is diagnosed with cancer, Jenny and the nuns are called upon to care for him. In doing so, Jenny comes to know the siblings better, learning of their upbringing in a workhouse and the profound effect it had on their relationship. As Jenny tends to Frank, the other residents of Nonnatus House become involved in helping Fred with his latest money-making venture — a pig named Evie.
Sunday, November 4 at 8:00 p.m. Episode Six
Sister Monica Joan is found wandering near the docks and returned to Nonnatus House by the police. Her adventure takes its toll on her health and she develops pneumonia. When she eventually recovers she returns to the community, only to find herself in trouble with the law when she is accused of theft. As Sister Monica Joan's case progresses to trial, the Nonnatus House community fears that the elderly nun could go to jail. Chummy is worried when her mother decides to make a trip to “inspect” her new beau.
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