Time and time again, Call the Midwife has proved itself to be the opposite of cosy viewing, a term that’s often used to describe the BBC period drama, through its willingness to tackle hard-hitting storylines that often share parallels with our world as it is today.
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And once again that proved to be the case in tonight’s episode (Sunday 14th January), which included a horrifying storyline about black mould.
Edna Bristow, a single mother with a young child and another baby on the way, had repeatedly complained to the council about the state of her daughter’s bedroom, which had become unliveable, but no solution had been offered.
The mould was spreading at a ferocious pace, both across the walls and even onto her child’s bed, with no amount of scrubbing or paint able to stop the rot, and it wasn’t long before Edna’s little girl was admitted to hospital with bronchitis.
She was placed on antibiotics and received round-the-clock care, but her situation was critical. And with no word from the council on a solution, Edna’s daughter would be heading back into a mould-ridden home if she did recover, where her health would once again deteriorate.
“She could be permanently asthmatic,” noted Sister Veronica, acknowledging the potential long-term impact of living with mould. Death, as we know from recent high-profile cases, is also a potential side effect.
Thankfully, Edna’s daughter did make a full recovery, and the council also stepped in to fix the problem, but only after Nurse Turner, Sister Veronica and counsellor Violet Buckle threw their weight around.
But as we know, that can be far from how it plays out in reality.
Two-year-old Awaab Ishak died due to a respiratory condition caused by exposure to mould at his home in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, in 2020, igniting calls for the government to take immediate action to prevent such tragedies from ever happening again.
But following his death, there have been countless other stories of families living in similar conditions, with no end in sight to their respective ordeals, despite promises to do better.
After the real-world impact of Mr Bates vs the Post Office on kickstarting real and meaningful change for the victims of the Horizon IT scandal, here’s hoping Call the Midwife can ignite fresh impetus to help those living in squalor in modern day Britain.
Call the Midwife airs on Sundays on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide or visit our Drama hub for more news and features.
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