Nun's Praise: Behind the Scenes of Call the Midwife's Authentic Charm

Sister Margaret-Angela is one of the nuns who inspired the popular TV show 'Call the Midwife. ' She shared that the show's producers would often call or email her for advice to make sure everything in the show was accurate. She said she never expected to be a consultant for a television series, but she was impressed by how carefully the team worked to get all the details right. The show, which just finished its 15th season, tells the story of midwives and nuns working in London's East End. The fictional group in the show is based on the real Anglican community of St John the Divine, which moved to the West Midlands in 1976.

Sister Margaret-Angela began her career as a midwife in Poplar, London. She remembers seeing the nuns from St John the Divine riding their bikes around the neighborhood to help people. She once went with one of the sisters to visit an elderly woman in a very dirty house. She said the house was so unpleasant that she had to suck on a strong peppermint just to go inside. During that visit, she suddenly imagined herself wearing the blue habit of a nun. Later, when the community decided to move to the Midlands, she and the other nuns were unsure at first, but soon felt at home in their new location.

The TV series 'Call the Midwife' is based on a book by Jennifer Worth, who worked as a midwife with the sisters in Poplar. Jennifer also worked as a nurse in Coventry and Warwick when she was young. Sister Margaret-Angela remembers Jennifer as having a beautiful singing voice and a kind husband. When Jennifer wrote her book, she would speak the words and her husband would type them. Since the TV show became popular, the production team has stayed in touch with Sister Margaret-Angela, often asking her questions about life as a nun and a midwife. She and some of the other sisters have even visited the set of the show, where they met some of the actors. Sister Margaret-Angela believes that being part of 'Call the Midwife' is now an important part of her community's history, and they have collected all the DVDs to keep in their archives.