Call the Midwife fans praise show for heartfelt handling of Down’s syndrome plot as series 10 ends

Call the Midwife fans have praised the show’s handling of a storyline featuring a baby with Down’s syndrome.

The series finale aired on Sunday night and viewers were moved to tears as the plot unfolded on their screens.

In the episode, Blanche Dellow (Madeleine Worrall) is ready to give her baby to her younger sister Sylvia (Charlotte Hamblin) for adoption after its birth.

Blanche is already a mother to three children and wants to help her sibling who is desperate to become a parent herself after suffering infertility.

However, after the baby is born, Dr Turner (Stephen McGann) and the nurses realise he has Down’s syndrome.

Despite having already picked out a name for the boy, Justin, a shocked Sylvia rejects the newborn.

Fortunately, Blanche falls in love with the baby and decides to keep him, calling him Robert.

Blanche and her husband Walter (Michael Begley) raise Robert, and Walter is shown to need support from Fred Buckle (Cliff Parisi) and Reggie (Daniel Laurie).

Viewers took to Twitter to praise the makers of the show for their sensitive handling of the topic.

One person wrote: ‘Really amazing episode of #CallTheMidwife this evening, breaking the stigma of Down‘s Syndrome.’

Another posted: ‘Thank you to #callthemidwife for your sensitive portrayal of the birth of baby Robert who has Down’s Syndrome Folded hands.’

‘What a lovely, heartwarming episode of Call the Midwife. The issue of dealing with a Down’s Syndrome baby was very written and acted. I worked with someone who was Down’s Syndrome and she was beautiful,’ another commented.

‘I’ve just watched Call the Midwife. How wonderful to see the birth of a Downs Syndrome baby treated with such compassion, honesty and joy,’ one other viewer tweeted.

‘Down Syndrome baby on call the midwife. Gets me every time. Just beautiful. Yellow heartBlue heart #downsyndrome #positiveaboutdownsyndrome,’ posted someone else.

One other fan remarked: ‘CalltheMidwife A heart rending episode to end the tenth series. Down Syndrome children are the most gifted and loving children I have come across in my life in London and Lancashire.’

Parents Matt and Charlotte’s son Nate featured in the episode as the baby after they saw an advertisement for a child to play a part in an unnamed television show.

They decided to apply, with Charlotte being an avid fan of the programme.

Charlotte told the Radio Times: ‘We wanted to make sure that whatever storyline Nate was involved in, that we as a family were involved in, was supportive, was a positive one.’

Meanwhile, there’s plenty more episodes of Call the Midwife planned for the future after Sunday’s finale.

There will be an 11th series, and the new episodes are set to go into production later this year.

The BBC has confirmed that the series will air until at least 2024, with at least 13 seasons expected.

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