Christmas Special 2015 Call the Midwife


Christmas Special 2015

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Transcript


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JENNY: 'Christmas is the celebration of a baby's birth.

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'It is the story of a mother's love,

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'her fear, her faith

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'and her determination.

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'It tells of promises fulfilled,

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'a cradle rocked,

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'a journey both concluded and begun.

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'It is the story of all that is cherished,

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'in a world where too little is known.'

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..and of the Holy Ghost.

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Amen.

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We seek it here, we seek it there.

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SHE COUGHS

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Indeed, one is obliged to ask oneself

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if one is in pursuit of a comestible item,

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-or the Scarlet Pimpernel.

-Sister Monica Joan, never mind that now.

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Would you just carry on cutting out the grease-proof circles?

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The mincemeat will be ready for the jar soon.

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Are we going to get that tea in the clinical room or aren't we?!

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Urgh, sorry, I had a problem with the desiccated coconut.

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If we have to wait much longer,

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you'll have a problem with a desiccated corpse - mine!

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And lo, the angel Gabriel appeared

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carrying the first tin of Quality Street of the season.

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-PHONE RINGS

-I'll get it.

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Nonnatus House. Midwife speaking.

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-It's our twins case.

-Oh!

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Yes. Yes, of course.

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Yes.

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SHE SIGHS

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See?

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You all thought me a fool to persist in my endeavours,

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but behold - I have located the brandy.

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SHE SPLUTTERS

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Now's the time to souse the Christmas pudding.

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Just don't go sousing yourself into the bargain.

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You give us enough gyp when you're stone-cold sober.

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Tea, now! Then you and I are off on the ulcer rounds.

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SISTER MONICA JOAN COUGHS

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Good afternoon, everyone...

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GENERAL CHATTER ..and, uh,

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-thank you...

-Sh!

-..boys and girls...

-Quiet!

-..for being nice and quiet

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whilst the babies were being christened.

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The Cradle Roll service is a very special one...

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-Take one and pass it down.

-..because it's one of the few days of the year

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when all the children in the parish get to come together

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to celebrate being part of our big church family.

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Nurse Gilbert, our Sunday school teacher,

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is going to bring the children's choir to the front,

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where they'll sing Silent Night

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to help us start our journey towards Christmas.

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-BICYCLE BELL PINGS

-Merry Christmas!

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-THEY SING DISCORDANTLY:

-# Silent night

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# Holy night

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# All is calm

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# All is bright

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-BABY WAILS LOUDLY

-# Round yon virgin

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-# Mother and child... #

-Rosemary McConlough, Doctor.

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# Holy infant

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# So tender and mild... #

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GAS HISSES

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Oh...

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Never heard such a racket!

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They were flat, they weren't singing together,

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and one of them was picking his nose!

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But they had nobody to follow - why didn't you sing with them?

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Cos I'm practically a baritone since my voice broke.

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Excuse me, Mrs Turner?

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Oh, Mrs Willens, wasn't that a lovely service?

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And the church looked immaculate - you keep it so spick and span.

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Oh, it's just elbow grease, anyone could do it.

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Begging your pardon, Mrs Turner - when the nurse came for the doctor,

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-were they called out to my niece?

-I shouldn't say, really.

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But I believe they were.

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WATER BUBBLES

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Hard luck, sweetie. We've fired the starter's pistol a bit too soon.

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Nothing's on the move just yet.

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I've had enough - I want them out now!

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No cheeking the nurse, young madam.

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She came into this world shouting the odds

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and she's not stopped since.

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Come along, Rosemary, let's see if we can get you a bit more comfortable.

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The main thing is to get some rest

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and remember that both babies are doing well.

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KNOCK AT DOOR

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How's she getting on, Eileen?

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- Stay nice and warm. - Walter sent some satsumas

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-from his barrow.

-No, it was a false alarm.

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We'll have them anyway.

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Plenty more where they came from.

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WATER BUBBLES AND POT RATTLES

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Oh, it's bitter!

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A nice cup of tea, I think. COUGHING

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Oh, no!

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Sister!

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Sister?

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Can you answer me?

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HIGH-PITCHED WHISTLING

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What on earth's that noise?

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Poor Eileen looked worn to a thread.

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Rosemary's always been a madam.

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Once she's had those twins, it's going to be all hands on deck.

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The family will rally round to help 'em.

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-We always do.

-Not sure I'm wanted.

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Eat your grapes.

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-Good for your kidney stones.

-Kidney stones don't bother me any more.

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Oh, love.

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I don't know why you go to that bloomin' Cradle Roll service.

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-You end up in shreds every year.

-How can I stay away?

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And Lorna's name still on the list of members?

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They don't rub it out, Walter, just cos she's not with us any more.

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I know, love, I know.

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Rosemary's got...

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two lovely matching cots for these new twins.

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On the never-never, probably!

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But, aw, they do look smart.

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I'm glad now I never offered her Lorna's cradle.

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I'd have liked it to have had a new home.

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A little life inside.

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Yeah, maybe not.

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Sister Monica Joan is in bed with a fever and dosed up on aspirin.

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Doctor's going to call tomorrow.

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-She sounded quite delirious when I went past her room.

-Poor old thing.

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Would it be frightfully callous to enquire about the pudding?

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According to Sister Evangelina,

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we'll be having Swiss roll with custard for dessert on Christmas Day.

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-Oh...

-She's in a perfectly savage mood. Purple cellophane?

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-I think this one has Nurse Mount's name on it.

-Marvellous.

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The perfect accompaniment to a whisky nightcap.

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You won't tempt me, I'm afraid.

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Alcohol's perfectly beastly on the complexion.

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Are there any coffee creams?

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I need them to take away the taste of the glue.

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18 down, 24 to go.

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If you lick my stamps,

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I'll give you what appears to be the only coffee cream in the tin.

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NURSE MOUNT CHUCKLES

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One for Delia - how is she?

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-VOICE CATCHING:

-Well, I believe.

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Her mother hasn't written in a while.

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Head injury can be a ghastly thing to recover from.

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And she was in quite a bad way when they took her home to Wales.

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I guess she was.

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Now, where's that coffee cream?

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-Oh.

-Mmm!

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TRIXIE CHUCKLES

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Thank you.

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I'm so glad you're here. I almost called you again.

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Not I, nor He who commands us all...

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Get back into bed before the hot water bottle goes cold!

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KNOCK AT DOOR

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Come in, any time you like.

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..Nelly put a hot brick to my feet.

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I knew it was winter then,

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when it leached the smell of starch out of the sheets.

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Sit down!

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Temperature of 102, coughing like a drain and dotty as a two-bob watch.

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I can see that.

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SHE COUGHS

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Oww!

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You're going to have to lay off the mince pies, Fred Buckle,

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or never mind splitting your trousers -

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you're not going to fit in this Santa suit at all!

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Well, the kiddies leave them out for me.

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They'd be disappointed if they didn't disappear.

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Yeah, but you're not the real Father Christmas, remember.

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You're just one of his helpers.

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Yeah, but I'd look shocking in an elf suit.

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I could do with an elf or two to help me in the shop this afternoon.

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I've got the entire Christmas raffle display to put in my window,

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or I'll have half the Poplar shopkeepers baying for my blood.

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I wish I'd never said I'd take the responsibility.

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Be good for trade, though, won't it?

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I've only donated a couple of balls of wool and some nappy pins.

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The rest of the space is all taken up with other people's stuff.

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Tins of powdered milk and I don't know what.

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Well, that's not very season of goodwill.

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Oww!

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Pass me the scissors.

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I'm not biting this, it's too close to your backside.

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A high temperature and a nasty cough.

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But what we don't want at her age is pneumonia.

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We've been more worried about her confusion

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-than her physical health lately.

-Exactly.

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If she goes any further down Doolally Hill,

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we won't be able to look after her.

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I've prescribed Distoval as a sedative.

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It'll calm her down and perhaps make her behaviour less erratic.

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Distoval won't bring our Christmas pudding back from the dead.

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Or from the ceiling!

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DOOR OPENS

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We're about to go into compline.

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I'll look in again afterwards.

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Very well, but there's no need for you to linger.

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Sister Monica Joan and I have established the rules of play

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and thus far, she is abiding by them.

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My mother's hands were cold, like yours.

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Mother's been looming rather large this evening, I'm afraid.

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That's often the way when she's unwell.

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-These...sometimes help.

-Hmm?

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They're family heirlooms

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and she cherishes them.

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HE SHIVERS

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Oh!

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I can't consume that!

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The tang of urine assaults me even from the plate!

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It isn't kidney, Sister Monica Joan, it's liver.

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And it's terribly good for you.

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And if you eat quickly, we can listen to Desert Island Discs

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while you eat your semolina.

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I have tired of the wireless.

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There are too many jumbled voices.

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I like television better.

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There isn't a television at Nonnatus House.

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There's one in the window of the new shop by the tunnel.

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-Have you seen it?

-No.

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We have one. At home.

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But I won't be seeing that for quite some time.

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-Why is that, child?

-Don't encourage her.

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There'll be ample salt in that gravy already.

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You don't need tears in it as well!

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I can't go home for Christmas, Sister Monica Joan.

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We're going to be too busy.

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Sister Julienne told me this morning.

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But...the very purpose of Christmas is to revisit where one's roots lie!

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Was Christ himself not born in Bethlehem

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because his father and mother

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were called to their birthplace for the census?

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All should head homeward.

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If their natal home still stands.

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My natal home was razed to the ground

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when they made "improvements" to the Kirkstall Road in Leeds.

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I'm rather looking forward to filling the mead cup

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and draining the barrel in Nonnatus House.

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Figuratively speaking, of course.

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We'll have a splendid time!

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PLATE SCRAPES

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And so, the bishop said that BBC Television

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want to film a carol service in an ordinary London church

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and broadcast it on Christmas Day.

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How nice.

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Well, I think it will be more than nice.

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I think it will be wonderful,

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for the whole of the parish.

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Our parish?

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I'm sorry, I should have made that clear.

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Oh.

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Well, I think it sounds tremendously jolly.

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And the children will certainly enjoy it.

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But filming, Mr Hereward,

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-in a church?

-My sentiments exactly!

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- Is nothing sacred?! - To my mind, Sister Evangelina,

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Christmas is the most sacred festival of all.

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And sharing a religious service with millions of people

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is a really good way to remind them of that.

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Not to mention frightfully glamorous!

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I rest my case.

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People have forgotten what Christmas is all about.

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Mrs Turner has kindly agreed to take the children's choir in hand

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and I was thinking we could create a crib scene

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and place a real newborn baby in the manger.

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SHE EXHALES GRUMPILY

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-One of OUR newborn babies?

-Yes.

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I was rather hoping to see Nurse Gilbert.

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The producer of the television broadcast, Barrington Swann,

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-is coming to inspect the church tomorrow and...

-Mr Hereward.

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Tomorrow is a very busy day.

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And Ms Gilbert will be fully occupied.

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BICYCLE BELL PINGS

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I was led to expect more in the way of ornamental plasterwork.

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It always photographs so well.

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Still, I see your Mrs Mop is working wonders with the elbow grease.

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A shiny bit of brass will always catch the arc lights.

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Our cleaning lady is called Mrs Willens, not Mrs Mop.

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Whatever she's called, we'll have to add to the artistic presentation.

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Seasonal floral arrangements, of course,

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and the children's pageant is completely essential.

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-Do you mean the Nativity play?

-Oh, N-Nativity scene, I think.

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Don't you? We mustn't overface the viewing public.

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But children are essential.

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I was a kiddie performer myself. I know how they add to the sparkle.

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-And they must sing!

-I have all that in hand.

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-And they must be in costume.

-Mrs Turner has that in hand, too.

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The aesthetics are vital.

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We can't have anybody looking poor.

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How dare he?!

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Poplar may not be the richest parish in the country,

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but not one mother would turn her children out

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looking less than the very best she could.

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I almost gave him his marching orders there and then.

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Begging your pardon, Mr Hereward, but I'm glad you didn't.

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Why, Mrs Willens?

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He was almost as rude about the church as he was about the children.

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Whom he hasn't even seen.

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I'm not convinced he has any faith in us at all.

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It's not about his faith, is it?

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Have a pink wafer.

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I got them in for Mr High-And-Mighty,

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but I decided they were stopping in the packet.

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You should have one yourself.

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You'll need to build your strength up

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-if you're going to be helping us out.

-Helping you out?

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Mrs Willens, this carol service needs all the help it can get.

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And with the number of children involved, so do I.

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I want you to ask the headmaster's permission

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to put one on the notice board.

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There are some lovely singers at the grammar school.

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Yes, and they're mostly baritones and tenors.

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I've put treble and boy soprano on the poster.

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We need quality voices, male and female,

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if we're not going to embarrass ourselves in front of the BBC.

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Not to mention the entire nation.

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Which is why we are going to have auditions

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and why we are going to advertise.

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Good morning, Mrs Willens, Mr Willens.

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-Morning, Mrs Turner.

-We've a busy day ahead.

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By the way, the parish manger's gone missing

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and we'll need to find an orange box.

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Perhaps Mr Willens can oblige.

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Now, run and catch your bus.

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MUSIC: (Everybody's Waitin' For) The Man With The Bag by Kay Starr

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Can you go a bit higher, Violet?

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Yeah, a bit...bit higher.

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Yeah, perfect. Yeah.

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Thanks, Violet.

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# Everybody's waitin' for the man with the bag

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# Cos Christmas is coming again

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# He's got a sleighful It's not going to stay full

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# He's got stuff to drop at every stop of the way

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# Everybody's waitin'

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# They're all congregatin'

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# Waitin' for the man with the bag. #

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What do you think you are doing?!

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Preparing for Christmas.

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With a joyful heart.

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I shall need all of this when our tree is purchased.

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-However tardy its arrival proves.

-No tree until the week before Christmas.

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You know how we do things and it does not involve tinsel.

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Auntie Iris!

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Rosemary, what are you doing out of doors?

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I can't settle, I can't sit.

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All I can do is clean.

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I thought I was turning into you.

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Do you fancy coming with me to the clinic?

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Aren't you going with your mum?

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-She's gone up west to pick out the pram set.

-Oh.

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-Nothing but the best for these two.

-Yeah...

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Oh, come on, you'll enjoy it.

0:19:040:19:06

CHILDREN CHATTER AND YELL, BABIES WAIL

0:19:080:19:10

Mrs Turner said the rash has developed since this morning.

0:19:100:19:14

I only came in to bring the baby for his needles.

0:19:140:19:17

I never saw the rash. I thought he was just a bit off-colour.

0:19:170:19:20

I'm afraid it's a bit more serious than that.

0:19:200:19:24

We can postpone the baby's vaccinations,

0:19:240:19:26

but I want you to go straight home.

0:19:260:19:28

Measles. That's the fourth case in a week.

0:19:300:19:33

I'll notify the medical officer.

0:19:330:19:36

-Other practices are having the same thing.

-I know.

0:19:360:19:38

And the last thing we need is an epidemic.

0:19:380:19:42

Look, I just wish there was a vaccine.

0:19:420:19:44

I know they're testing one, but it takes so long.

0:19:440:19:47

Oh, I can't get on that bed, it's too high.

0:19:480:19:50

ROSEMARY BREATHES HEAVILY

0:19:500:19:52

I can't lie down in any case,

0:19:520:19:54

cos it makes me feel as though I'm suffocating.

0:19:540:19:56

You don't have to lie down until Doctor comes in,

0:19:560:19:58

but if we can just get your bottom onto the bed...

0:19:580:20:00

You'd have more luck with the hoists and winch from down the dockyard!

0:20:000:20:03

THEY CHUCKLE

0:20:030:20:04

LIQUID SPLASHES, ROSEMARY GASPS

0:20:040:20:07

-Oh, no!

-Oh, yes!

-Have I wet myself?

0:20:070:20:09

I hope not - this is a good pair of nylons.

0:20:090:20:12

I'll be right back. ROSEMARY GROANS

0:20:120:20:14

Whoever cleaned up after that explosion wants horse-whipping.

0:20:150:20:19

It's insanitary, having Christmas pudding clinging to the walls!

0:20:190:20:23

I suspect you're right.

0:20:230:20:25

It may well attract mould

0:20:250:20:26

and we don't want spores falling into the food.

0:20:260:20:29

Are you sure you don't want me to get up on the table, Sister?

0:20:290:20:32

No, no, you save your strength

0:20:320:20:34

for your trip to see the Christmas lights.

0:20:340:20:36

I should very much relish the chance to see the lights myself.

0:20:360:20:39

The Sunday school children would love that.

0:20:390:20:42

And there'll be plenty of room on the bus.

0:20:420:20:44

I'm sorry, I'm going to exercise my power of veto.

0:20:440:20:47

You know my views on dicky chests and cold winds.

0:20:470:20:50

And we need you at compline, Sister.

0:20:500:20:52

Sister Mary Cynthia is at the twin birth.

0:20:520:20:55

She won't be back tonight.

0:20:550:20:56

You speak to me and of me as though I am a child.

0:20:580:21:02

No, we speak to you and of you as though you have been ill.

0:21:020:21:07

And you can explain this...space-age monstrosity whenever you like!

0:21:070:21:12

It's a wreath for the front door.

0:21:120:21:14

Sister Monica Joan designed it herself.

0:21:140:21:16

-When are you planning to put it up?

-Sister,

0:21:160:21:19

we have all agreed there will be no tree or decorations

0:21:190:21:22

in Nonnatus House until December 18th, as is our custom.

0:21:220:21:27

Advent will take precedence in the meanwhile.

0:21:270:21:30

But we are out of kilter with the world!

0:21:300:21:33

Every other window is brilliant with light.

0:21:330:21:36

Every other home bedecked and splendid!

0:21:360:21:39

Only we await our tree

0:21:400:21:42

and we will never know the joy of television.

0:21:420:21:44

-Television?!

-It is the portal to much happiness.

0:21:440:21:49

I have seen it work its magic on 100 children's faces!

0:21:490:21:53

There are plenty of children round here

0:21:530:21:55

who don't need that sort of magic.

0:21:550:21:57

They need a square meal and clean clothes and a loving hand!

0:21:570:22:02

Not spending money hand over fist on television sets and tinsel.

0:22:020:22:07

Children incline to happiness.

0:22:070:22:11

Even I knew delight and transportation as a child.

0:22:110:22:15

-And my youth was not a happy one!

-Not happy?!

0:22:150:22:18

-You never knew what hardship meant!

-Sister, please!

-I did!

0:22:180:22:22

I did know!

0:22:220:22:24

But perhaps my mind is too misshapen to recall it now.

0:22:280:22:34

Well, all I can say is, if the cap fits, wear it!

0:22:340:22:38

SISTER EVANGELINA SIGHS AND TUTS

0:22:530:22:55

And I don't want to see any more of this until the 18th of the month.

0:22:570:23:01

All aboard! BELL RINGS

0:23:040:23:05

All aboard the Christmas bus

0:23:050:23:08

Ho-ho-ho! Come ride with us

0:23:080:23:11

Lights and shops and fun we'll see

0:23:110:23:14

Ho-ho-ho, come ride with me.

0:23:140:23:17

Merry Christmas, merry Christmas.

0:23:170:23:19

-Really, Fred, it's worthy of the poet laureate.

-Ha-ha!

0:23:190:23:22

-What have you got in your bucket, reindeer food?

-No, sawdust.

0:23:220:23:25

I have two famous vomiters

0:23:250:23:27

and one who can't be trusted with the waterworks.

0:23:270:23:29

Oh, dear. Come on, then, you stragglers.

0:23:290:23:32

You're married to the lady in the sewing shop.

0:23:320:23:34

-Uh, no. Uh, that fella is a cousin of mine. Same-shaped face.

-Hmm.

0:23:340:23:40

Well caught.

0:23:420:23:43

Are you coming, Mum and Dad? No? Right, on you get.

0:23:430:23:45

Ho-ho-ho! Come ride the bus.

0:23:470:23:50

ROSEMARY GROANS

0:23:520:23:54

I see you're still using the old newspaper trick.

0:23:540:23:57

Sister Julienne did that when I had my daughter.

0:23:580:24:01

We've saved many a mattress this way, Mrs Willens.

0:24:010:24:04

Still doing the enemas too?

0:24:060:24:08

Do I have to? I thought only the old ones did that.

0:24:080:24:12

We're older than we look, Rosemary.

0:24:120:24:14

-Practically ready for our pensions.

-THEY CHUCKLE

0:24:140:24:17

SHE SIGHS

0:24:190:24:21

SHE COUGHS

0:24:280:24:30

THEY SING: # If you're happy and you know it

0:24:370:24:39

# And you really want to show it

0:24:390:24:40

# If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands

0:24:400:24:43

# If you're happy and you know it, stomp your feet

0:24:430:24:46

# If you're happy and you know it, stomp your feet... #

0:24:460:24:49

Anyone for a sherbet lolly?

0:24:490:24:51

-No takers, I'm afraid. Tina's not feeling very well.

-Oh, dear.

0:24:510:24:55

-Will we be needing the sawdust?

-No, she says she just has a headache.

0:24:550:24:59

She's quite hot, too.

0:24:590:25:01

Well, you can have one, if you like.

0:25:020:25:04

Thank you.

0:25:050:25:06

Yellow and pink.

0:25:090:25:10

The thing that fascinates me most about these is that they're so pale,

0:25:100:25:14

until you lick them, and then their colour changes completely.

0:25:140:25:17

I love them.

0:25:170:25:19

Most people look on lollies like they're a childhood thing.

0:25:190:25:22

I don't.

0:25:220:25:23

I've no pride and no shame when it comes to confectionery.

0:25:230:25:27

You should try one.

0:25:270:25:28

-Yellow and green.

-See? You don't know what you've been missing.

0:25:330:25:37

Take a deep breath, Rosemary.

0:25:390:25:41

SHE INHALES And another, that's it.

0:25:410:25:43

SHE EXHALES Just take in some air.

0:25:430:25:46

Now, push, Rosemary!

0:25:460:25:47

SHE GROANS LOUDLY

0:25:470:25:50

Well done!

0:25:500:25:51

Well done!

0:25:510:25:54

BABY WAILS

0:25:560:25:58

Oh, what is it?

0:26:010:26:03

It's a girl.

0:26:030:26:04

-And she's beautiful.

-Oh, a girl.

0:26:040:26:08

I wanted a girl!

0:26:080:26:10

You might have two soon.

0:26:100:26:12

BABY GRIZZLES

0:26:120:26:14

Perhaps Auntie Iris can look after this one in the meantime.

0:26:170:26:21

Sweet pea!

0:26:220:26:25

I'm glad I stayed.

0:26:250:26:27

The next one's breech.

0:26:270:26:28

They drive us...every year.

0:26:330:26:36

INDISTINCT CHATTER

0:26:370:26:39

What are you staring at, cariad?

0:26:560:26:57

That bus.

0:26:570:26:59

I'm...

0:26:590:27:00

not used to being back in London.

0:27:000:27:02

I thought you were having one of your spells.

0:27:020:27:04

I don't have them any more.

0:27:040:27:06

Well, you haven't for a while,

0:27:060:27:08

praise the Lord.

0:27:080:27:09

We'll have a very happy Christmas.

0:27:100:27:13

And then say goodbye to this city for good.

0:27:130:27:15

CHILDREN SING: # If you're happy and you know it, touch your nose

0:27:220:27:26

# If you're happy and you know it... #

0:27:260:27:29

Urgh, can't the doctor just pull it out?!

0:27:290:27:31

Oh, you can do this on your own.

0:27:310:27:33

Doctor's more than happy standing there twiddling his thumbs.

0:27:330:27:36

Lean back into me if it helps you to concentrate.

0:27:360:27:39

Keep your bottom on the edge of the bed.

0:27:390:27:42

That's it, sweetie, gather your strength.

0:27:420:27:45

That's it!

0:27:450:27:46

That's it!

0:27:460:27:47

That's...!

0:27:470:27:49

That's it, keep it coming!

0:27:490:27:50

Keep it coming! We have a leg!

0:27:500:27:53

That's it!

0:27:530:27:55

And another leg!

0:27:550:27:58

Doctor, could you possibly pass me the towel, please?

0:27:580:28:01

ROSEMARY WHIMPERS SOFTLY

0:28:010:28:03

This one's a boy, Rosemary.

0:28:030:28:04

Nurse Franklin's just wrapping baby in the towel, Rosemary,

0:28:040:28:08

just to keep him warm and calm.

0:28:080:28:09

Where's its head?

0:28:090:28:11

The head will be born soon.

0:28:110:28:13

Oh, you're doing so well!

0:28:130:28:16

Rosemary, you're going to gently feel me

0:28:160:28:18

turning baby a quarter of a circle.

0:28:180:28:21

SHE GROANS

0:28:210:28:23

That's it, that's it.

0:28:230:28:25

Just breathe.

0:28:250:28:26

ROSEMARY BREATHES HEAVILY

0:28:270:28:30

We're going to let baby's feet hang, just for a moment,

0:28:300:28:33

so that his own body weight helps him in the right direction.

0:28:330:28:35

FOOTSTEPS APPROACH

0:28:410:28:42

Oh, God, have I missed it?!

0:28:420:28:44

-That's it! That's it!

-ROSEMARY CRIES OUT

0:28:440:28:47

That's it!

0:28:470:28:49

ROSEMARY GROANS LOUDLY

0:28:490:28:51

You clever girl!

0:28:510:28:54

-ROSEMARY LAUGHS

-Top work!

0:28:540:28:57

Beautiful boy, Rosemary.

0:28:570:29:00

-You have one of each!

-One of each?!

-IRIS:

-Little girl came first.

0:29:000:29:04

-And she's gorgeous.

-Aww, hand her over!

0:29:040:29:07

BABY GRIZZLES

0:29:090:29:11

Oh!

0:29:110:29:13

I'm a grandma!

0:29:130:29:15

A grandma! How about that?

0:29:150:29:17

-How about me being a mum?

-That as well, obviously!

0:29:170:29:21

Oh, we're going to be quite the double act, you and me.

0:29:220:29:26

CHILDREN YELL AND CHATTER

0:29:320:29:35

-I'm sorry, Mrs Lewis. Poor Tina isn't feeling very well.

-She's burning up!

0:29:410:29:45

If I'd have known, I'd have brought the pushchair.

0:29:450:29:47

Don't worry, Nurse Gilbert. I'll take Tina home.

0:29:470:29:50

I'd give her an aspirin and do call the doctor if you're worried -

0:29:520:29:55

I'm sure he'll come out.

0:29:550:29:56

IN SING-SONG VOICE: Wakey-wakey, campers!

0:30:130:30:16

CHILDREN LAUGH AND CHATTER

0:30:190:30:22

BELL RINGS

0:30:250:30:26

Hello, Iris!

0:30:260:30:28

I heard Rosemary had the twins.

0:30:280:30:30

-What a lovely Christmas you'll all have.

-Yeah, won't we?

0:30:300:30:33

There, nappy pins. One blue set and one pink.

0:30:330:30:36

You give those to that clever niece of yours

0:30:360:30:38

with my congratulations.

0:30:380:30:40

That's kind of you, Violet. She'll be thrilled.

0:30:400:30:42

She'll be even more thrilled

0:30:420:30:43

if she wins that layette I'm displaying in my window.

0:30:430:30:46

It's got everything in it that a new mum could ask for

0:30:460:30:48

and it's all in aid of the maternity home.

0:30:480:30:51

Yeah, go on, then!

0:30:510:30:53

Best have two, seeing as it's twins.

0:30:530:30:55

84 and 85.

0:30:590:31:01

Nothing like babies for making people smile.

0:31:020:31:04

Some people, maybe.

0:31:040:31:05

Oh, Iris.

0:31:070:31:09

Me and my walloping, thoughtless mouth. I'm sorry.

0:31:090:31:11

No, I didn't mean to snap, Violet. It's just...

0:31:110:31:14

-It's Christmas, it's a tricky time of year.

-Oh, it would be.

0:31:140:31:17

Poor little Lorna and poor you.

0:31:170:31:20

-You remembered her name.

-I couldn't forget it.

0:31:200:31:22

Any more than I could forget that smile she had.

0:31:220:31:26

I look at her photograph sometimes

0:31:260:31:28

and I think, "Oh, I wish I'd called her something happier."

0:31:280:31:32

Lorna.

0:31:320:31:34

It seems a sad name, somehow.

0:31:340:31:36

There is nothing sad about your little girl, Iris.

0:31:360:31:39

-Even at just three months.

-Four months.

0:31:390:31:41

IRIS EXHALES

0:31:480:31:50

I'll have a triple-hook...

0:31:500:31:53

brassiere expander, if you would, please, Violet.

0:31:530:31:56

White, buff, or tea rose?

0:31:590:32:02

Hot water bottle stone-cold and exactly where I left it.

0:32:030:32:07

This bed hasn't been slept in.

0:32:070:32:09

We should have checked.

0:32:090:32:10

The necklace has gone, and so's the sapphire ring.

0:32:130:32:16

I must telephone the motherhouse.

0:32:170:32:19

Sister Julienne, you must telephone the police.

0:32:190:32:22

I thought it might be scarlet fever.

0:32:250:32:27

-You know, she seems poorly enough.

-No, it's measles.

0:32:270:32:30

You'll need to dose her with aspirin every four hours.

0:32:300:32:33

Start her with these. I'll write you a prescription for the rest.

0:32:330:32:36

-Can't she have antibiotics?

-They won't work.

0:32:360:32:39

There's no need to look flustered, Iris.

0:32:460:32:49

All you have to do is ask each child their name, age and address,

0:32:490:32:52

write it down, then tell them to sit on a chair and wait their turn.

0:32:520:32:55

And what about the juice and biscuits?

0:32:550:32:57

They can have them when they've auditioned and not before.

0:32:570:32:59

-CHILDREN SING "WHY ARE WE WAITING?"

-Can I have a biscuit now?

0:32:590:33:02

Don't think I can get through this

0:33:020:33:03

without a boost to my kinetic energy.

0:33:030:33:05

No, you can't. We don't want crumbs on the keys.

0:33:050:33:08

Quick, grab yourself a gypsy cream.

0:33:080:33:10

Everybody must go to the lady at the desk

0:33:120:33:15

and give their name, age and address before they sit down,

0:33:150:33:20

and wait until they're called!

0:33:200:33:23

-And no dogs.

-It's a singing dog.

0:33:230:33:25

If it can't sing Silent Night, I'm not interested.

0:33:250:33:28

Would you say the necklace

0:33:290:33:30

and the ring were worth a great deal of money, Sister?

0:33:300:33:33

They were family heirlooms.

0:33:330:33:34

POLICEMAN'S PEN SCRIBBLES

0:33:340:33:36

I wish I could say they were of purely sentimental value,

0:33:360:33:38

but Sister Monica Joan was not at all sentimental about her relatives

0:33:380:33:42

and they were extremely rich.

0:33:420:33:44

Sister Julienne, did anything unusual happen yesterday?

0:33:460:33:49

Anything that might have upset her or caused her to change her routine?

0:33:490:33:52

We live in close quarters at Nonnatus House, as you know.

0:33:540:33:58

Very like a family, in fact.

0:33:590:34:01

And like all families, we have our disagreements.

0:34:010:34:04

Congratulations on being chosen for the choir, everyone,

0:34:070:34:11

and well done for getting here on time.

0:34:110:34:14

We're just going to rehearse for half an hour

0:34:140:34:16

before you all set off for school today.

0:34:160:34:19

Mrs Willens will have some hot Ribena ready for you when we finish.

0:34:190:34:23

Thank you, Timothy.

0:34:230:34:24

-THEY SING:

-# In a bleak midwinter

0:34:270:34:32

# Frosty wind made moan

0:34:320:34:37

# Earth stood hard as iron... #

0:34:370:34:41

-Where have you gone?

-# Water like a stone... #

0:34:410:34:45

It's now been 36 hours since anyone has seen her.

0:34:450:34:48

Her habit and her veil make her distinctive in this area, at least.

0:34:480:34:51

But if she's gone further afield, she may not be recognised.

0:34:510:34:54

She's extremely elderly and she's been ill.

0:34:540:34:56

Sister Monica Joan!

0:34:580:35:00

Sister!

0:35:020:35:03

They're definitely hers.

0:35:360:35:38

Is there anywhere else she could have gone?

0:35:380:35:40

I tried to telephone her nephew, who lives in Richmond,

0:35:400:35:43

but his housekeeper said he's skiing in Switzerland and can't be reached.

0:35:430:35:46

And she isn't at the motherhouse.

0:35:460:35:48

It's as though she's just vanished.

0:35:480:35:50

Nobody just vanishes, Sister Julienne.

0:35:500:35:52

That's very reassuring, Sergeant.

0:35:530:35:55

Sir, I found these in a bin on the Commercial Road.

0:35:550:35:58

Anything could have happened to her.

0:36:010:36:03

It was dark when she left

0:36:030:36:04

and the streets around the docks are deserted after six o'clock.

0:36:040:36:07

She probably thought her habit would keep her safe.

0:36:070:36:10

I don't think she gave safety or danger a second thought.

0:36:100:36:12

I think she was just excited about Christmas

0:36:120:36:14

and upset that she wasn't allowed to be.

0:36:140:36:16

The situation is troubling enough, Nurse Gilbert,

0:36:160:36:19

without speculation, gossip and histrionics thrown into the mix.

0:36:190:36:22

I would thank you to get on with your work!

0:36:220:36:24

SHE EXHALES HEAVILY

0:36:310:36:33

I'll be seeing you later, then!

0:36:350:36:38

Get your Christmas trees here! All shapes and sizes!

0:36:380:36:42

-Come on, then.

-I want a Norwegian pine.

0:36:420:36:44

No bigger than seven foot tall and no more than 15 bob.

0:36:440:36:47

Pat! BICYCLE BRAKES SCREECH

0:37:170:37:19

Where on Earth have you been?

0:37:210:37:23

Didn't want to knock on the door.

0:37:230:37:25

Didn't want to be asked in,

0:37:250:37:27

to see you for the first time with everybody watching.

0:37:270:37:30

Wait here.

0:37:300:37:32

I need to change out of my uniform.

0:37:320:37:34

MUSIC ON JUKEBOX: Angel Face by James Darren

0:37:540:37:57

I couldn't write at all to begin with.

0:37:570:38:00

Not for the first month.

0:38:000:38:02

But after that, I sent three letters.

0:38:020:38:04

My mother posted them.

0:38:040:38:05

Or maybe she didn't.

0:38:080:38:10

I would have answered if I'd got them.

0:38:100:38:12

You know I would have answered.

0:38:120:38:14

Does she suspect?

0:38:160:38:18

She thinks you're my friend from training school.

0:38:180:38:20

Oh, yes, the lady she helps at Cubs.

0:38:200:38:22

I promise you, that's all she thinks.

0:38:220:38:25

But she doesn't want me coming back to London to live.

0:38:250:38:28

-Or to nurse.

-Why not, if you're well enough?

0:38:280:38:31

In her mind, I'll never be well enough.

0:38:310:38:33

-I've got an appointment at the London to see Mr Hendry.

-The neuro chap?

0:38:350:38:40

And then another with the rehabilitation people.

0:38:400:38:43

They'll tell me then when I can go back to work. If I can.

0:38:430:38:47

Maybe months.

0:38:470:38:48

You look tired.

0:38:510:38:53

I...

0:38:540:38:56

lose my train of thought sometimes.

0:38:560:38:59

Better than losing you.

0:38:590:39:00

We're staying with my aunt in Hornsey, did I tell you?

0:39:040:39:07

No.

0:39:070:39:08

Till after Christmas.

0:39:110:39:13

I think Mum's hoping I'll see the "horror"

0:39:130:39:15

of London through fresh eyes,

0:39:150:39:16

but the minute they went off to their Welsh-language carol service,

0:39:160:39:20

I was on the bus to Poplar.

0:39:200:39:21

I'll be on the bus back to Hornsey soon.

0:39:250:39:27

I don't know what I'm supposed to say to that.

0:39:290:39:31

You're supposed to say...

0:39:320:39:34

"..Don't disappear again."

0:39:350:39:36

You're supposed to say, "Meet me again, write to me.

0:39:380:39:41

"Don't break the thread."

0:39:410:39:42

Let's pick up all the broken pieces.

0:39:440:39:46

Let's pick up where we were.

0:39:470:39:49

Can't I just say, "Come back"?

0:39:530:39:55

-ON JUKEBOX:

-# Darling, I love you... #

0:39:550:40:00

Yes.

0:40:000:40:01

-Keep warm.

-I will.

0:40:060:40:07

-Telephone me when you've seen the doctor.

-Yes.

0:40:090:40:12

Hang on, mate.

0:40:260:40:28

-What's that?

-What?

0:40:280:40:30

Oh, my God!

0:40:320:40:33

'ere, get the hook.

0:40:330:40:35

-'It's an old lady.'

-I see.

0:40:390:40:41

'You still there, guv?'

0:40:440:40:46

Yes.

0:40:470:40:49

'You'll need to check your missing persons record.'

0:40:490:40:51

I'm aware of the procedure, thank you.

0:40:510:40:53

RAPID KNOCKING AT DOOR

0:40:570:40:59

-Patrick!

-What's happened?

0:40:590:41:01

It's little Tina Lewis. Her mother called - it's urgent.

0:41:010:41:04

I assume motorised transport to the mortuary may not go amiss?

0:41:200:41:23

I was going to drive them in the police car, Nurse Crane.

0:41:230:41:26

Allow me to spare you the encroachment on your time.

0:41:260:41:29

Nobody here has done anything criminal.

0:41:290:41:32

She was all right last night!

0:41:380:41:40

Sh-she was talking, she said there were little men in the wallpaper!

0:41:400:41:44

Tina!

0:41:440:41:46

Tina!

0:41:460:41:47

She's unconscious.

0:41:470:41:48

-I'm sending for an ambulance.

-She's not going to die?!

0:41:480:41:51

She can't die, it's only measles!

0:41:510:41:53

It's never ONLY measles, Mrs Lewis.

0:41:530:41:56

Just give the attendant the word when you're ready.

0:42:210:42:24

SHE BREATHES HEAVILY

0:42:260:42:29

SISTER EVANGELINA PRAYS SOFTLY

0:42:290:42:31

We're ready.

0:42:380:42:39

SISTER JULIENNE INHALES SHARPLY

0:42:450:42:47

SHE EXHALES

0:42:470:42:49

It isn't her.

0:42:550:42:56

Poor woman.

0:42:570:42:59

SISTER EVANGELINA SOBS Poor, poor woman.

0:43:000:43:02

-SHE SINGS:

-# Enough for Him, whom cherubim

0:43:040:43:09

# Worship night and day

0:43:090:43:12

# A breastful of milk and a mangerful of hay. #

0:43:120:43:19

See, that's where I want the descant to come in.

0:43:190:43:22

It always seems to peter out there.

0:43:220:43:24

Well, that's because of the words.

0:43:240:43:26

What's wrong with the words?

0:43:260:43:27

Well, there's just a word that no-one likes singing.

0:43:270:43:30

It's in that line.

0:43:300:43:32

And it begins with a "B".

0:43:330:43:34

What, "breast"?

0:43:350:43:37

-HE CHUCKLES ANGELA:

-Da-da!

-Dad!

0:43:370:43:39

-PHONE RINGS

-I'll get that.

0:43:390:43:41

-Dad, I've gone bright red!

-Hello?

0:43:430:43:45

-In the privacy of my own home.

-I'll fetch him now.

0:43:450:43:48

Hold the line.

0:43:480:43:49

It sounds like another measles case.

0:43:510:43:54

Joey Minton.

0:43:540:43:56

And he's in my choir.

0:43:560:43:57

Tonight at compline, we will once again say special intercessions

0:44:010:44:04

for the safe return of Sister Monica Joan.

0:44:040:44:08

And we will also pray for the lost soul

0:44:080:44:10

-recovered from the Thames this morning.

-Yes, Sister.

0:44:100:44:13

And that's all I can manage to say at the moment.

0:44:150:44:18

Sister Mary Cynthia...

0:44:180:44:19

..perhaps you would lead us in grace.

0:44:210:44:23

LAMBS BLEAT

0:44:340:44:36

RAT SQUEAKS

0:44:360:44:38

Dost think, because thou art a rat...

0:44:380:44:41

SHE PANTS

0:44:410:44:43

..there shall be no more cakes and ale?

0:44:430:44:46

SHE COUGHS, CATTLE LOW

0:44:470:44:49

CATTLE LOW LOUDLY

0:44:510:44:54

What a caterwauling...

0:44:540:44:56

do we keep here!

0:44:560:44:59

SHE COUGHS AND SPLUTTERS

0:44:590:45:01

Oh, good.

0:45:050:45:07

Can you go straight through and help Nurse Gilbert in the delivery room?

0:45:070:45:10

Doctor's been delayed at the Board of Health

0:45:100:45:12

and we've a lady in there with an occipital posterior.

0:45:120:45:15

Nothing like manning the gas and air to start the day.

0:45:150:45:17

Trixie, is there any news of Sister Monica Joan?

0:45:170:45:21

How can a trail go cold like that

0:45:210:45:23

when someone has a home and when they're loved?

0:45:230:45:26

The Board of Health have approved the quarantine regulations.

0:45:290:45:33

Hendy Street and St John's schools are breaking up early for Christmas

0:45:330:45:37

and all children's groups are suspended till New Year.

0:45:370:45:39

You did the right thing to push for that.

0:45:390:45:41

I'm glad you think so, because the suspended groups include your choir.

0:45:410:45:46

-No!

-I'm sorry, Shelagh.

0:45:460:45:49

But I never want to put another unresponsive child into an ambulance.

0:45:490:45:53

TYPEWRITERS CLACK, PHONES RING

0:46:030:46:06

HE EXHALES

0:46:120:46:14

Mr Swann, I appreciate your disappointment,

0:46:140:46:18

but we can't magic up a children's choral performance out of thin air.

0:46:180:46:22

And I can't bring the magic of Christmas all the way to Poplar

0:46:220:46:25

wrapped in paper and string!

0:46:250:46:27

You have to furnish the sparkle, Reverend!

0:46:270:46:30

Those were the terms of the deal.

0:46:300:46:32

We're in the grip of a measles epidemic.

0:46:320:46:35

I had chicken pox

0:46:350:46:36

when I was doing Peter Pan with Madame Aida's Champagne Babes.

0:46:360:46:40

I still managed to play the Princess Theatre nightly!

0:46:400:46:43

Have you never heard the phrase "the show must go on"?!

0:46:430:46:47

It's not a show, Mr Swann, it's an act of worship.

0:46:470:46:50

Until somebody films it.

0:46:500:46:52

And if nobody films it,

0:46:520:46:54

you might as well worship in a darkened room

0:46:540:46:57

with all the doors locked.

0:46:570:46:59

What do you mean, "if nobody films it"?

0:46:590:47:00

Mr Swann, I think that what Mr Hereward hasn't made clear

0:47:000:47:04

is that the children have been quarantined

0:47:040:47:07

for the good of their health.

0:47:070:47:08

-And I'm sure you don't wish to see that compromised.

-Of course not.

0:47:080:47:11

-But...

-And I'm sorry you weren't taken better care of as a child.

0:47:110:47:15

No-one should have forced you to go on as Peter Pan.

0:47:150:47:18

I wasn't even Peter Pan.

0:47:180:47:19

I was Smee.

0:47:210:47:22

Children matter, Mr Swann.

0:47:260:47:29

And they're at the very heart of Christmas.

0:47:290:47:32

But if you put them at risk just to prove that point,

0:47:320:47:34

-you make a nonsense of it all.

-What do you propose we do, Mrs Turner?

0:47:340:47:38

Simply bring your...

0:47:380:47:40

cameramen and your lighting equipment to the church as planned.

0:47:400:47:44

And we will give you a show to be proud of.

0:47:440:47:49

SHE MOANS

0:47:510:47:53

Mrs Turner?

0:48:090:48:11

Hello, Iris.

0:48:110:48:13

I finished the first of the shepherds last night.

0:48:130:48:16

I think the tunic's come up lovely.

0:48:160:48:19

Just, I wanted you to see it before I got the rest sewn up.

0:48:190:48:21

I've got two mums flat out on Mary and Joseph

0:48:210:48:24

and two more sneaking the angels into work with them.

0:48:240:48:27

They're seamstresses down the curtain factory.

0:48:270:48:30

-They're naughty girls.

-They're good girls.

0:48:300:48:33

It was a good cause.

0:48:330:48:35

WAS a good cau...?

0:48:350:48:36

-Shall I bring it in now?

-Yes.

0:48:360:48:38

Make sure you take it off the barrow.

0:48:380:48:40

He will dither!

0:48:400:48:43

Thing is, Mrs Turner,

0:48:430:48:44

you need something better than an orange box

0:48:440:48:47

if that manger's going to be on the telly.

0:48:470:48:49

-I know, but...

-I'm proud of this church.

0:48:490:48:52

I put all the love and care I couldn't spend on Lorna

0:48:520:48:55

into looking after it.

0:48:550:48:56

Made sure its face is clean and its hair's brushed.

0:48:580:49:01

Always made sure it was turned out in its proper Sunday best.

0:49:010:49:05

Yeah, maybe Lorna wouldn't have liked me fussing.

0:49:060:49:09

She might have been one of them little madams who wriggles

0:49:100:49:12

and says the brush hurts.

0:49:120:49:14

But I think she would have liked you to have this.

0:49:180:49:21

SHE BREATHES HEAVILY

0:49:400:49:42

I spent 22 Christmases not letting any joy in

0:49:470:49:49

because I had no child to share it with.

0:49:490:49:53

This year's been different.

0:49:530:49:54

Has it?

0:49:540:49:56

I stopped holding out against the happiness, didn't I?

0:49:560:49:59

And I found out that Christmas was meant for me, too.

0:50:000:50:03

I pretended to Mr Swann

0:50:080:50:09

that the children weren't the most important thing,

0:50:090:50:12

yet I just don't know how I'm going to replace them.

0:50:120:50:14

Oh, I don't either.

0:50:150:50:17

But you keep that cradle.

0:50:200:50:22

Took me too long to let it go.

0:50:240:50:25

LOUD BANGING

0:50:280:50:31

Can I help you?

0:50:340:50:36

-INDIGNANTLY:

-You may stand aside and admit me!

0:50:360:50:39

My...parents

0:50:410:50:44

had a run of woeful butlers.

0:50:440:50:46

But none that ever wore their hat indoors.

0:50:490:50:54

Mind all this stuff. I wouldn't like you to trip.

0:50:540:50:56

There were once a pair of wolfhounds here.

0:51:000:51:04

Romulus and Remus.

0:51:060:51:08

They sprawled on the floor

0:51:090:51:12

in semblance of a rug.

0:51:120:51:13

And caused more mishaps than any mess

0:51:150:51:20

of cycle parts.

0:51:200:51:21

I think that might have been before our time.

0:51:260:51:28

Almost all the world is before your time, child.

0:51:310:51:34

Though I see from the badges you affect,

0:51:360:51:40

you are concerned to see it last a little longer.

0:51:400:51:43

We're squatting here while we protest at the Aldermaston base.

0:51:430:51:46

This was a school for a bit,

0:51:460:51:48

but it shut and they can't sell it

0:51:480:51:50

because there are nuclear weapons two miles up the road.

0:51:500:51:54

This was always a house of discord and attrition.

0:51:540:51:57

I was almost never happy here.

0:51:590:52:00

But it was my home.

0:52:010:52:03

SHE GROANS AND WHIMPERS

0:52:050:52:07

SHE GROANS

0:52:070:52:09

I shall need a hot brick for my feet.

0:52:130:52:16

So you want the midwives of Nonnatus House to sing

0:52:190:52:22

instead of the children,

0:52:220:52:24

wearing our uniforms and our habits?

0:52:240:52:27

I almost didn't like to come and ask you.

0:52:270:52:29

It seems frivolous and stupid to be fretting about a carol service

0:52:290:52:33

when Sister Monica Joan is missing.

0:52:330:52:36

And that's without the television element.

0:52:360:52:39

I do know you were always uneasy about that.

0:52:390:52:41

I was...

0:52:430:52:45

but it sometimes seems to me,

0:52:450:52:46

the older I get, the more I have to learn.

0:52:460:52:48

We get so much out of love.

0:52:520:52:54

We find strength in it and courage.

0:52:550:52:57

Love is our foundation and our fuel.

0:52:590:53:01

But, if we don't show enough of it...

0:53:030:53:05

No. Sister, no.

0:53:050:53:07

You are not to blame for Sister Monica Joan running away.

0:53:070:53:11

..then we might as well not feel any love at all,

0:53:110:53:14

and that is why I'm here choosing clothes

0:53:140:53:17

so a woman who drowned,

0:53:170:53:20

who didn't even have a name,

0:53:200:53:22

can be buried with some evidence that someone somewhere cared

0:53:220:53:26

and that is why

0:53:260:53:28

I'm going to say yes

0:53:280:53:30

to singing in your choir.

0:53:300:53:32

I offered her some of that lentil risotto but she didn't want to know.

0:53:340:53:38

I had a bit more luck with the Eccles cakes.

0:53:380:53:40

-Should we send for a doctor?

-No, we aren't registered with one.

0:53:400:53:43

-We could take her to hospital if she...

-I shall be taken nowhere.

0:53:430:53:47

It was

0:53:500:53:51

effort enough to make my way here.

0:53:510:53:55

Now that I am home, I am quite content.

0:53:550:53:59

But, Antonia...

0:53:590:54:00

It seems strange to hear my name again within these walls.

0:54:000:54:05

Antonia.

0:54:080:54:10

I have come home

0:54:130:54:16

to be counted.

0:54:160:54:18

Do you suppose it's all right for us to feel excited about the broadcast?

0:54:220:54:27

If Sister Monica Joan were here,

0:54:270:54:29

she'd be more excited about it than anyone.

0:54:290:54:32

We should enter into the spirit of it,

0:54:320:54:34

-for her sake.

-Exactly.

0:54:340:54:37

Barbara, you must let me give you a make-up lesson.

0:54:370:54:40

The television lights can be frightfully cruel

0:54:400:54:42

to one's complexion.

0:54:420:54:43

We won't even be able to see ourselves perform, anyway.

0:54:430:54:46

Unless we stand outside the electrical shop

0:54:460:54:48

and peer in through the window.

0:54:480:54:49

I suppose my family will see me.

0:54:490:54:51

They'll be watching the broadcast when it's screened on Christmas Day.

0:54:510:54:54

Pan Stik, that's it.

0:54:540:54:56

I promise you, just one layer of Pan Stik.

0:54:560:54:58

And some rouge and a teensy lick of mascara.

0:54:580:55:01

Trixie, Barbara doesn't need mascara.

0:55:010:55:03

Some lipstick might be nice.

0:55:030:55:05

With a touch of Gay Geranium, you'd look quite like Jean Simmons.

0:55:050:55:09

The young Jean Simmons, obviously.

0:55:100:55:12

I haven't been to the cinema for years.

0:55:120:55:14

Behold, I bring tidings of great joy.

0:55:140:55:17

We have a truncated house call list this evening

0:55:170:55:19

-so we can finish early to attend choir practice.

-ALL:

-Oh!

0:55:190:55:23

All right, all right, your enthusiasm is duly noted.

0:55:230:55:25

Now let's turn our minds back from our performance to our patients.

0:55:250:55:28

Nurse Mount.

0:55:280:55:30

SHE GARGLES

0:55:340:55:36

You've made me swallow it.

0:55:410:55:44

It's meant to be a gargle to lubricate my tubes.

0:55:440:55:48

Mrs Turner recommended it after rehearsal.

0:55:480:55:51

My singing is rather rusty.

0:55:510:55:53

I'd have recommended engine oil.

0:55:530:55:55

I'm not going to quarrel with you. Not at Christmas,

0:55:580:56:00

not with everything hanging over us like this.

0:56:000:56:03

You mean Sister Monica Joan?

0:56:030:56:06

Oh, yes. I could kick myself, I really could.

0:56:060:56:08

If we get her back safely,

0:56:090:56:11

she can put up next year's tree on Easter Sunday if she likes.

0:56:110:56:15

I just keep running through everything I said.

0:56:150:56:19

I keep running over everything she said when she was ill.

0:56:190:56:23

Delirium's always interesting.

0:56:230:56:25

Sometimes, the truth comes out.

0:56:250:56:28

Was she talking about her mother?

0:56:280:56:30

Mostly.

0:56:300:56:32

She was talking about her childhood.

0:56:320:56:34

About the house she lived in

0:56:340:56:36

and what they did when it was cold

0:56:360:56:38

and it must have been on her mind because,

0:56:380:56:41

the next day, she mentioned it again.

0:56:410:56:44

-The house?

-She said everyone should go home for Christmas.

0:56:440:56:48

That was why Jesus was born in Bethlehem.

0:56:480:56:52

Something about that being its true meaning.

0:56:520:56:55

SHE HUMS

0:56:590:57:01

SHE GASPS

0:57:320:57:33

I know where she is.

0:57:410:57:44

-Morning, Sister.

-Sister Monica Joan.

0:57:440:57:46

I know where she is.

0:57:460:57:47

Here, I've written it all down.

0:57:470:57:49

No. I'm sorry, this really doesn't say "manger" to me.

0:57:530:57:57

It isn't supposed to.

0:57:570:57:59

It's supposed to say "cradle".

0:57:590:58:01

Something every mother watching is going to recognise.

0:58:010:58:04

Just as they'll recognise the newborn baby that we'll place there.

0:58:040:58:07

Will it be a good-looking newborn baby?

0:58:070:58:10

We don't know yet.

0:58:100:58:11

We haven't been to the maternity home to pick one.

0:58:110:58:14

-Yes.

-'I'll make sure the information is passed on.'

-Thank you.

0:58:170:58:20

An inspector from the Berkshire constabulary's going to call me back

0:58:210:58:24

-in due course.

-Due course?

0:58:240:58:27

She's been missing for days and she's nearly 90!

0:58:270:58:30

This address is out of my area, Sister. It has to be referred.

0:58:300:58:33

I'm just as worried as you but those are the regulations.

0:58:330:58:36

Regulations?

0:58:360:58:38

One day, Sergeant Noakes,

0:58:380:58:40

when you're a bit less wet behind the ears,

0:58:400:58:42

you will realise there are regulations

0:58:420:58:43

and there is common sense.

0:58:430:58:45

Stop!

0:58:530:58:55

Wait!

0:58:550:58:56

Morning, Sister. What happened to your bike?

0:58:560:58:59

Nothing, but pedal power isn't going to get me all the way to Berkshire.

0:58:590:59:03

-Berkshire? I've got a van full of Christmas trees.

-Go!

0:59:030:59:06

I am reconciled to the lady on the right's habit.

0:59:150:59:19

It smacks somewhat of the Virgin Mary,

0:59:190:59:21

which is nothing if not fortuitous,

0:59:210:59:23

but this, the hat, the mackintosh...

0:59:230:59:26

Oh, we won't be wearing our macs.

0:59:260:59:29

And the cardigans are really very Christmassy.

0:59:290:59:32

Glorious technicolour has not come to the BBC yet, dear.

0:59:320:59:36

This fabric is terribly limp.

0:59:360:59:39

Oh, they're midwives,

0:59:390:59:40

the uniforms get washed a lot.

0:59:400:59:42

Is there the smallest chance of frilly little caps?

0:59:460:59:49

Oh! Quite a big one, actually.

0:59:490:59:51

And, if you stump up for more broderie anglaise,

0:59:510:59:54

they could be very frilly indeed.

0:59:540:59:55

HE SNIGGERS

0:59:550:59:56

HE CLEARS THROAT

0:59:560:59:57

I shall be starting on your ensemble in a moment.

0:59:571:00:00

-STRAINED:

-Mrs Turner...

1:00:061:00:08

Iris, whatever's the matter?

1:00:081:00:10

I woke up feeling proper rotten.

1:00:101:00:12

I had a kidney stone last year. I reckon it's come back.

1:00:141:00:17

And it would be today, when there's so much to do.

1:00:191:00:21

Today's just the rehearsal.

1:00:211:00:23

The church looks beautiful!

1:00:231:00:25

Oh!

1:00:251:00:26

I'm taking you to see Doctor.

1:00:261:00:28

-WOMAN'S ECHOING VOICE:

-'Antonia... Antonia!

1:00:361:00:40

'Nanny found the Bible in your room again.'

1:00:421:00:45

Antonia... Try to drink something.

1:00:481:00:51

There was a piano in here.

1:00:511:00:55

But I imagine you used it for firewood.

1:00:561:01:00

You must take in some fluids.

1:01:001:01:02

Or we'll have to take you to a hospital.

1:01:021:01:05

I will not go.

1:01:051:01:07

The story is concluded.

1:01:081:01:11

I was born in this house.

1:01:121:01:15

And I'm content to meet my maker here.

1:01:161:01:19

LABOURED BREATHING

1:01:431:01:45

Have you passed any blood recently?

1:01:461:01:48

No, I've had the change. I had it early.

1:01:481:01:51

I meant in your urine.

1:01:511:01:52

No.

1:01:521:01:53

I have been going more than usual, though.

1:01:531:01:56

Oh, I feel a bit sick.

1:01:561:01:58

The pain's in my back, mostly.

1:01:591:02:01

SHE MOANS

1:02:041:02:06

Ah, oooh. Oooh.

1:02:071:02:09

Iris, dear, when you're ready

1:02:281:02:31

I'm going to get you to your feet

1:02:311:02:33

and we're going to help you across to the maternity home.

1:02:331:02:36

Maternity home?

1:02:361:02:37

You're going to have a baby!

1:02:371:02:40

When?

1:02:461:02:47

Very soon.

1:02:471:02:49

I, I don't, I...

1:02:501:02:53

I don't feel safe.

1:02:541:02:57

When I had my Lorna, Sister Julienne said

1:02:571:03:00

the most important thing was to f-feel safe.

1:03:001:03:03

I'll ring Nonnatus House. SHE MOANS IN PAIN

1:03:031:03:07

Will you please put your foot down before I put it down for you?

1:03:081:03:12

I'm driving down dangerous country lanes!

1:03:121:03:15

There might be rabbits or sheep!

1:03:151:03:18

Iris, Iris, I know this is hard to get to grips with.

1:03:191:03:24

I know.

1:03:241:03:25

I-I'm, I'm 46.

1:03:261:03:28

How can I not have known?

1:03:281:03:30

You're not the first woman this has happened to.

1:03:301:03:32

It's rare, but you're not alone.

1:03:321:03:35

But will it be all right?

1:03:351:03:36

How is it going to be all right?

1:03:361:03:39

Everything will be all right, Iris. I promise you.

1:03:391:03:42

Sister Julienne.

1:03:441:03:46

You delivered my Lorna.

1:03:481:03:50

Yes, I did.

1:03:501:03:52

And I've often remembered her in my prayers.

1:03:521:03:54

I never thought I'd have another child.

1:03:581:04:00

I just... I kept loving her.

1:04:001:04:03

And you always will.

1:04:031:04:05

Love is not going to be halved, but doubled.

1:04:071:04:09

SHE SCREAMS IN PAIN

1:04:261:04:28

That's it, that's it, Iris. Another strong, steady push.

1:04:281:04:33

That's it, that's it.

1:04:331:04:35

Yes! Perfect, perfect.

1:04:351:04:39

Baby's head stopped slipping back now, it'll be with us soon.

1:04:391:04:42

Your husband's arrived now, Iris.

1:04:421:04:43

Dr Turner's just bringing him up-to-date...

1:04:431:04:46

SHE SCREAMS IN PAIN

1:04:461:04:48

SHE SCREAMS IN PAIN

1:04:481:04:51

That's it.

1:04:511:04:52

SHE SCREAMS IN PAIN

1:04:521:04:53

That's it. Nice, steady drag.

1:04:581:05:01

This is the place!

1:05:091:05:10

CRYING

1:05:161:05:19

Well done. It's a little girl!

1:05:201:05:25

And she's beautiful.

1:05:251:05:26

Come here.

1:05:301:05:31

Come on.

1:05:351:05:36

Come to your mum.

1:05:381:05:40

CRYING

1:05:471:05:48

Ssh. Ssh.

1:05:511:05:53

I remember the days of old.

1:06:081:06:11

I meditate on all thy works.

1:06:111:06:14

I muse on the works of thy hands.

1:06:141:06:17

I stretch forth my hands unto thee.

1:06:171:06:20

My soul thirsteth after thee, as in a thirsty land.

1:06:201:06:26

Cause me to hear thy loving kindness in the morning.

1:06:261:06:30

-BOTH:

-For in thee do I trust.

1:06:321:06:35

Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk.

1:06:351:06:40

For I lift up my soul unto thee.

1:06:411:06:44

Amen.

1:06:471:06:48

(Amen.)

1:06:481:06:49

Open wide.

1:06:541:06:55

I think you'll find it's my turn to start shouting the odds.

1:06:581:07:01

DOOR OPENS

1:07:041:07:05

The police have arrived.

1:07:051:07:07

They want to know if they should call an ambulance.

1:07:071:07:10

An ambulance is not required.

1:07:111:07:14

I have funds aplenty

1:07:151:07:16

since I pawned my mother's jewels.

1:07:161:07:19

-You pawned them?!

-It was an interesting experience.

1:07:191:07:23

En route, I spent one highly displeasing night

1:07:241:07:28

in a Gerrards Cross guesthouse.

1:07:281:07:31

Much capital remains.

1:07:321:07:35

I suggest we telephone a taxi.

1:07:371:07:40

Your chauffeur already awaits.

1:07:411:07:44

I reckon, uh... about six pound, 4oz?

1:07:551:07:59

You're spot on!

1:07:591:08:01

Costermonger's never wrong!

1:08:011:08:03

What we going to call her, then?

1:08:041:08:05

No sad names this time.

1:08:051:08:07

I'm going to call her Joy.

1:08:091:08:11

Oh, that's a lovely name to give a child.

1:08:111:08:14

It's all we've got to give her!

1:08:141:08:16

I haven't got a vest or a mitten for the poor little scrap!

1:08:161:08:19

PHONE RINGS

1:08:241:08:27

Nonnatus House, midwife speaking.

1:08:281:08:30

'I'm calling from a box on the corner of Whittle Street.'

1:08:301:08:33

There's someone there in need of attention.

1:08:341:08:36

-What are you up to?

-We're drawing the raffle tomorrow.

1:08:441:08:47

Tomorrow?

1:08:471:08:48

I could murder a bit of cheese on toast.

1:08:481:08:51

I've been driving through countryside.

1:08:511:08:53

Well, you can have cheese on toast

1:08:531:08:55

when you've helped me out with this lot.

1:08:551:08:56

I want you to take out all the 84s and all the 85s.

1:08:581:09:02

I reckon this is immoral.

1:09:161:09:18

Well, keep at it, and then you've got

1:09:181:09:20

the choice of Wensleydale, cheddar or Red Leicester.

1:09:201:09:24

They say the headaches will fade away.

1:09:241:09:26

I just need to rest for a little longer.

1:09:261:09:28

Not that my mother will let me do much else.

1:09:291:09:31

Will she let you come back to work?

1:09:311:09:33

I have to come back to work!

1:09:331:09:35

Back to London.

1:09:351:09:37

This is where my life is.

1:09:381:09:39

-And where you are.

-Deils, I'm not going anywhere.

1:09:411:09:43

You can't come back if they don't give you a clean bill of health.

1:09:431:09:46

They will.

1:09:461:09:47

I'll make them.

1:09:481:09:49

KNOCKING

1:09:501:09:52

People out here are waiting!

1:09:521:09:53

People in here are waiting.

1:09:561:09:58

Sheila, it's here, I found it.

1:10:011:10:03

Wait there.

1:10:031:10:05

GARGLING

1:10:061:10:08

I didn't know you could arrange flowers.

1:10:171:10:18

There's a lot about me that you don't know.

1:10:181:10:21

Beatrix Franklin, midwife of mystery.

1:10:221:10:24

In your own time, Mr Swann. Any ticket you like.

1:10:331:10:37

Number 85!

1:10:421:10:43

Oh! Fancy that!

1:10:431:10:45

Oh!

1:10:451:10:46

'Sometimes, the route to joy is indirect.

1:10:461:10:51

'Our journey home not quite as we expected.

1:10:511:10:54

'There's no magic star to guide our steps,

1:10:541:10:57

'no ancient prophecies to predict our way.

1:10:571:11:00

'The greatest gift is to know that we travel not alone,

1:11:161:11:21

'but in the company of others.

1:11:211:11:22

'That there are hands that we can reach for

1:11:221:11:26

'and hearts to keep us warm.'

1:11:261:11:29

# Silent night

1:11:401:11:43

# Holy night

1:11:431:11:46

# All is calm

1:11:461:11:50

# All is bright

1:11:501:11:54

# Round yon virgin, mother and child

1:11:541:12:01

# Holy infant so tender and mild

1:12:011:12:09

# Sleep in heavenly peace

1:12:091:12:16

# Sleep in heavenly peace

1:12:161:12:23

ALL: # Silent night

1:12:241:12:28

# Holy night

1:12:281:12:32

# Shepherds quake at the sight

1:12:321:12:40

# Glories stream from heaven afar

1:12:401:12:48

# Heavenly hosts sing Hallelujah

1:12:481:12:55

# Christ the Saviour is born

1:12:551:13:04

# Christ the Saviour is born. #

1:13:041:13:10

'Sister Monica Joan never did

1:13:101:13:13

'redeem her mother's jewels from the pawn shop.

1:13:131:13:16

'Instead, she purchased two things.

1:13:161:13:19

'A replacement for the Christmas pudding

1:13:191:13:22

'and a television set.

1:13:221:13:24

'She deemed both essential for contentment at Nonnatus House.

1:13:241:13:29

'If others disagreed, they gave no voice to their objections,

1:13:291:13:33

'and the family gathered round,

1:13:331:13:36

'watching their faces flicker black and white,

1:13:361:13:40

'their very presence in the room an act of love,

1:13:401:13:43

'a welcome home.'

1:13:431:13:46

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