'Call the Midwife' is back!

As much as I love 'Call the Midwife' mainly because the clothes and customs of the era fascinate me, I have never warmed to Chummy like many others have. It just seemed to me as though Miranda Hart was acting as herself once again, just with a slightly heightened vocabulary.

However (and this is a rather large however), her appearance in Episode 1 of the new series opened my eyes to the acting ability of the nation's beloved Miranda. As she sprawls upon the floor with a panting soon-to-be-mother she is faced with a difficult birth, as the baby's shoulders become stuck. As she manoeuvres mum and baby, we see the panic in her eyes and when the baby is born she massages the child's back encouraging it to breathe. As it wails, I saw a Chummy I have not seen before. She cries.

Suddenly all of that moping, itching around the house sewing cushion covers and baking pies, make a lot more sense. Chummy is lost, and the delivery of the baby has reminded her what she has been missing. It is quite satisfying to watch as Chummy looks herself in the mirror to place her midwife hat upon her head. Poplar is back to normality.

Another great moment for the opening to the season is the appearance of Sister Monica Joan. All to often we all swipe aside the knowledge of our elders, as we put it down to superstition and old wives tales - or just nonsense. Sister Monica Joan, renowned for her off balance persona and confused mind emerges from episode 1 as the saviour no-one expected.  I am a lover of words and truly adore it when Sister Monica Joan speaks in tongues through the books she has read. The fact that she saves the day, sees a fitting return of Nonnatus House to it's former glory, in a new location.

With the welcoming of Princess Margaret to the community hall, the girls are most certainly back and Poplar is set to thrive in the coming series! Who's getting married next... like that one's hard to work out.