Great stories about the lost world of London’s East End in the 50s, before the slum clearances, when community was all-important and no one locked their doors. Jennifer Worth, attached to an order of nuns, was the midwife.

This is a tie-in edition for the major BBC TV series that runs for 6 weeks from Sunday 15 January 2012.  CALL THE MIDWIFE, starring Jenny Agutter, Pam Ferris and Miranda Hart. The drama vividly recreates Worth's evocative memoir of working as a midwife in the East End of London in the 1950s.

Her Call the Midwife trilogy comprises Call the Midwife, first published by Orion  in 2007, as well as Shadow of the Workhouse and Farewell to the East End. The books were based on Worth's experiences as a midwife in London's East End in the 1950s, and have sold almost a million copies in the UK alone.  To view them all click here.

Synopsis

Jennifer Worth came from a sheltered background when she became a midwife in the Docklands in the 1950s.

The conditions in which many women gave birth just half a century ago were horrifying, not only because of their grimly impoverished surroundings, but also because of what they were expected to endure. But while Jennifer witnessed brutality and tragedy, she also met with amazing kindness and understanding, tempered by a great deal of Cockney humour. She also earned the confidences of some whose lives were truly stranger, more poignant and more terrifying than could ever be recounted in fiction. Attached to an order of nuns who had been working in the slums since the 1870s, Jennifer tells the story not only of the women she treated, but also of the community of nuns (including one who was accused of stealing jewels from Hatton Garden) and the camaraderie of the midwives with whom she trained. Funny, disturbing and incredibly moving, Jennifer's stories bring to life the colourful world of the East End in the 1950s.

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About the Author

Jennifer Worth was a nurse, midwife, ward sister and night sister from 1953 until 1973. Her Call the Midwife trilogy comprises Call the Midwife, first published by W&N in 2007, as well as Shadow of the Workhouse and Farewell to the East End. The books were based on Worth's experiences as a midwife in London's East End in the 1950s, and have sold almost a million copies in the UK, according to the publisher. Call the Midwife has been made into a major television series for the BBC, produced by Neal Street Productions and scripted by Heidi Thomas, who also wrote the screenplay for "Cranford". The series runs for 6 weeks from 15th January 2012. Jennifer Worth died on 31st May 2011 and is survived by her husband Philip Worth, their two daughters and three grandchildren.   Author photo © KCP Studio More books by this author Author 'Like for Like' recommendation