Call the Midwife's Miss Higgins forced to call in the big guns as Dr Turner's locum sparks concern
"This won't do."
With Dr Turner off in Hong Kong in the Call the Midwife Christmas special – which sees a party from Nonnatus House travel to Kowloon to lend assistance after the collapse of the Branch House – we're introduced to Dr Elise Watkiss, his supposed "first choice" for locum cover.
Though she's "young", Dr Watkiss is said to have "excellent GP experience", suggesting the surgery should be in safe hands while Patrick is needed elsewhere.
But from Miss Higgins's very first encounter with her – during which the medical secretary visibly bristles, more than once – it's immediately clear that Watkiss is no like-for-like replacement for Dr Turner, suggesting that the days ahead are going to be anything but smooth sailing.
And that indeed proves to be the case when a woman called Diane goes into labour.
When Timothy informs Watkiss that the baby, which is "quite big", is in a right occiput transverse position (meaning the baby is lying sideways, with the back of the head toward the mother's right hip), he adds that his father always attends in such cases.
But after examining Diane, it becomes apparent that Watkiss doesn't know how to use forceps – Turner's go-to in a transverse delivery – and is only trained in ventouse, a suction-cup device, so the best she can do is "continue with trial of labour".
If that doesn’t work, says Watkiss, Diane – who is in more pain than she should be – will be transferred to St Cuthbert's.
"Timothy, this won't do," says Rosalind, who is both shocked by the gaping hole in Watkiss's skillset and panicked by their increasingly precarious situation.
But with the rest of the midwives in Hong Kong or tied up with other patients in Poplar, it falls to Sister Monica Joan to guide them through the obstructed labour — and she rises to the challenge brilliantly, with the baby eventually shifted into the correct position and delivered successfully, even if Rosalind does end up with a face full of amniotic fluid.
Unable to tell whether the baby is a boy or a girl, Rosalind leaves it to Sister Monica Joan, who arrives just in the nick of time, in case of any further complications, to announce that Diane has given birth to a daughter.
That joy is short-lived, however, as attention swiftly turns back to Dr Watkiss.
Read more:
- Call the Midwife creator and cast reveal show was hit by typhoon while filming in Hong Kong
- Call the Midwife creator "constantly" receives offers from streamers – but reveals no desire to leave the BBC
Miss Higgins points out that her CV stated very clearly that she is "fully trained in obstetrics", but the medical secretary has since learned that in almost five years of GP practice, Watkiss has "only delivered two babies, and neither with any complications".
"That's the way it is these days," Timothy adds, explaining that while everyone is technically trained to deliver a baby, "the expectation is they will be born in hospital" – prompting Miss Higgins to make an executive call.
Unwilling to tolerate any further incidents, she brings in the big guns.
"I will not permit this to happen again," she announces. "I am sending for Nurse Aylward" – whose timing is impeccable, we must say.
Just after Watkiss informs Miss Higgins that several of the patients attending the antenatal clinic should be at St Cuthbert's, "not here", Trixie makes her grand entrance and immediately takes charge of the situation, while a well-meaning but ill-equipped Watkiss is stunned into silence.
As they say, if you want a job done properly...
The Call the Midwife Christmas special continues on Boxing Day at 8:30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Add Call the Midwife to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more.
Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
Abby Robinson is the Drama Editor for Radio Times, covering TV drama and comedy titles. She previously worked at Digital Spy as a TV writer, and as a content writer at Mumsnet. She possesses a postgraduate diploma and a degree in English Studies.
