Call the Midwife: The Fans’ Stories
This project forms part of Alice's collaborative research with the BBC exploring the power and impact of public service broadcasting on audiences, focusing particularly on the popular television drama Call the Midwife.
Together, they have co-produced an exciting new video series exploring how audiences engage with, and express their passion for, Call the Midwife beyond simply watching the television drama. Alice speaks with 6 fans from across the UK who have engaged in creative activities inspired by the show - from collecting memorabilia to embroidering nuns and midwives! - and captures the motivations behind and significance of their creative endeavours.
" It has been a real treat to work with the BBC on this second Call the Midwife project, exploring the wonderful world of the fan community. It was a joy to meet with the fans and bring this video series to life, and I hope you enjoy hearing about their passion for the show, the disparate activities they’ve engaged in, and the meaning behind their creative endeavours. " Dr Alice Watson
Individual videos capture the fans’ stories, objects, and artefacts, and explore the motivations behind and significance of their Call the Midwife fandom. Meanwhile a behind-the-scenes glimpse of a group workshop delves deeper into the Call the Midwife fanbase, reflects on why the show occupies such a special place in their lives, and identifies some of the magic ingredients that have inspired them to become creators and storytellers, collectors and archivists, broadcasters and artists.
Amongst others, you’ll hear from:
- Alex who records a popular podcast with her friends about Call the Midwife’s storylines and characters.
- Sarah who designs Call the Midwife-inspired cross-stitch patterns, featuring memorable quotations and recognisable iconography from the show.
- Sue who collects an array of midwifery objects and crafts her own knitted nuns and midwives!
" There is growing academic interest in how audiences engage with media and popular culture in their everyday lives and the practices through which they render it meaningful and tangible - this series sheds light on how audiences engage with Call the Midwife in interesting, innovative, and obsessive ways and through their own original activities, become creators, artists, and storytellers. I am very grateful to the BBC for their research collaboration and partnership, and to the participants for their time, interest, and enthusiasm. " Dr Alice Watson
This project builds on Alice's AHRC-funded project 'Tales from Call the Midwife' - a co-produced 28-part podcast for the BBC's centenary in 2022, featuring fans who remembered, lived through, or had been touched by the drama's storylines, from Down's syndrome and adoption to miscarriage and alcoholism.
Together, these two public-engagement projects showcase impactful work within cultural geography and highlight the value and potential of collaborating with major cultural partners, such as the BBC. They also demonstrate the power of popular culture to affect, empower, and make a difference to audiences watching, and uncover the ways in which viewers can become creators, artists, and storytellers in their own right.
Call the Midwife, which is made by Neal Street Productions, is one of the BBC’s most popular television dramas, set in the East End of London and following the lives and work of a community of nuns and midwives. Now in its 14th series, the show has attracted a large, dedicated, and loyal fanbase, capturing the hearts and minds of audiences in the UK and around the world.