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Call the Midwife returns amid gentle rise of warm-hearted TV Call the Midwife returns amid gentle rise of warm-hearted TV
(about 1 hour later)
The BBC could hardly have timed it more cleverly: when better to bring back your most heartwarming, blockbuster Sunday night series than when swaths of the country are lying under a blanket of snow? The BBC could hardly have timed it better: bringing back the most heartwarming, blockbuster Sunday night series when swaths of the country are lying under a blanket of snow.
Call the Midwife, BBC1's popular tale of 1950s East End midwives based on Jennifer Worth's bestselling memoirs, is not the only programme to come with a feelgood rosy glow. Sunday night, traditionally the time for gentle programming, is awash with it – from the new BBC1 Wodehouse comedy Blandings to ITV's glossy period drama Mr Selfridge. Call the Midwife, BBC1's popular tale of 1950s East End midwives based on Jennifer Worth's bestselling memoirs, is not the only programme with a feelgood rosy glow. Sunday night, traditionally the time for gentle programmes, is awash with it – from the new BBC1 Wodehouse comedy series Blandings to ITV's glossy period drama Mr Selfridge.
And the television equivalent of having a warm bath is creeping into broadcast slots that might in recent years have been reserved for more gritty shows. BBC1's Death in Paradise returned with almost seven million viewers on Tuesday nights, in a slot previously occupied by Last Tango in Halifax and the department store drama The Paradise. And the television equivalent of having a warm bath is creeping into broadcast slots that might until recently been reserved for more gritty shows. BBC1's Death in Paradise returned with almost seven million viewers on Tuesday nights, in a slot previously occupied by Last Tango in Halifax and the department store drama The Paradise.
"It is something I've tried to introduce into the range of things we do on BBC1 and audiences have really responded to that warmth," said Danny Cohen, controller of BBC1. "I think it's a signal of the times we live in. A bit of a turn of the wheel away from the more shouty, more confrontational kind of show.""It is something I've tried to introduce into the range of things we do on BBC1 and audiences have really responded to that warmth," said Danny Cohen, controller of BBC1. "I think it's a signal of the times we live in. A bit of a turn of the wheel away from the more shouty, more confrontational kind of show."
Industry experts link the trend to the economic climate: in austere years, viewers want comforting television.Industry experts link the trend to the economic climate: in austere years, viewers want comforting television.
"I do think these warm dramas are a phenomenon," said Ben Preston, editor of Radio Times. "We live in tough, difficult times and what binds shows such as Call the Midwife, Death in Paradise and Last Tango in Halifax is that they are all rather life-affirming."I do think these warm dramas are a phenomenon," said Ben Preston, editor of Radio Times. "We live in tough, difficult times and what binds shows such as Call the Midwife, Death in Paradise and Last Tango in Halifax is that they are all rather life-affirming.
"Call the Midwife, for example, shows that ordinary people can make a difference and do incredible things – and of course babies cheer everybody up.""Call the Midwife, for example, shows that ordinary people can make a difference and do incredible things – and of course babies cheer everybody up."
There is also a cyclical element: "When something is successful it's not long before something else like it comes along," said Jeff Evans, author of the Penguin TV Companion.There is also a cyclical element: "When something is successful it's not long before something else like it comes along," said Jeff Evans, author of the Penguin TV Companion.
"In the 60s, with the Forsyte Saga, nobody had done period drama in such detail before, so afterwards there was suddenly a flurry of it. Now the bandwagon for warm TV is rolling, and people are getting on it.""In the 60s, with the Forsyte Saga, nobody had done period drama in such detail before, so afterwards there was suddenly a flurry of it. Now the bandwagon for warm TV is rolling, and people are getting on it."
Cohen said warm television did not need to equal "warm bath" television – offering gentle, undemanding comfort. "It's about execution. You don't shy away from difficult things, or things that might surprise the audience. It's how we tell the story … you can have things that are warm and still get lots of modernity into it." Cohen said warm television did not need to equal "warm bath" television – offering gentle, undemanding comfort. "It's about execution. You don't shy away from difficult things, or things that might surprise the audience. It's how we tell the story… you can have things that are warm and still get lots of modernity into it."
It can be tempting to dismiss feelgood dramas as middlebrow or lowest common denominator, but Preston said that would be a mistake. "They're popular because they have good strong characters and great acting and they say something about us at this particular time." It can be tempting to dismiss feelgood dramas as middlebrow, but Preston said that would be a mistake. "They're popular because they have good strong characters and great acting and they say something about us at this particular time."
The much-admired Last Tango in Halifax, he pointed out, was a bold commission for BBC1: few media outlets would feature 70-year-olds falling in love so prominently. "If you stand back and look at it, it's really quite a brave drama." The much-admired Last Tango in Halifax, he pointed out, was a bold commission for BBC1: few media outlets would feature 70-year-olds falling in love. "If you stand back and look at it, it's really quite a brave drama."
For those who find it all a little too sweet for their daily diet, there is some hope. "These trends don't last for that long," said Evans. "If you look at the mid-90s, for instance, it was all docusoaps. We started with Airport, and they were on every night of the week. Eventually, they started to make us turn off.For those who find it all a little too sweet for their daily diet, there is some hope. "These trends don't last for that long," said Evans. "If you look at the mid-90s, for instance, it was all docusoaps. We started with Airport, and they were on every night of the week. Eventually, they started to make us turn off.
"You get four, five, six years out of a trend perhaps, and then somebody will find something new. Maybe then this warm-hearted television will just go back to Sunday nights.""You get four, five, six years out of a trend perhaps, and then somebody will find something new. Maybe then this warm-hearted television will just go back to Sunday nights."