Call Midwife creator: Nuke fight isn’t over
NUCLEAR test veterans and their families still need answers 70 years on, the creator of Call the Midwife has said as the new series explores the devastating impact down the generations.
In the first episode last night, the BBC1 drama returned to its story of test survivor Derek Fleming and his wife Audrey as they start a family.
Last year 7.3 million viewers saw the young couple lose first son Christopher, who was born without legs below the knee and died soon after.
This time they face up to a genetic curse covered up by the authorities as they struggle with fears for the future health of their new baby Elizabeth.
The story comes in the 70th anniversary year of Operation Hurricane, Britain’s first bomb test.
Writer and producer Heidi Thomas was inspired by a neighbour in her Suffolk village who became infertile after serving at the tests.
Some 22,000 men took part in 45 tests and 600 radioactive “minor trials” on trigger devices, in America, Australia and the South Pacific between 1952 and 1991. Under 3,000 are thought to still be alive and their children report 10 times the normal rate of birth defects.
The Mirror has campaigned for the families since the 1980s.
In November PM Boris Johnson finally agreed to our call to meet them but it has yet to take place.
Heidi said: “As the Mirror campaign has shown, this is not over. There are still questions that need to be answered.” It is only the second time the drama has repeated one of its storylines, the first time being the Thalidomide scandal.
Heidi, 59, said: “Derek is living with most of his stomach removed, baby Elizabeth looks perfect but may well become ill. Audrey will never be able
Show revisits story of test veteran to rest, or stop worrying about them, well was to show that, even if your families, who collected anecdotal or forget Christopher.” child looks healthy as a baby, you evidence to build into statistics still
Ex-Navy chef Doug Hern, 85, was a spend years fretting about what used to argue their case today. script consultant on the storyline. He might go wrong.” Heidi says: “They’ve become the was 21 when he saw five H-bombs at Heidi’s script showed Dr Turner, heart of the story they’re still telling Christmas Island and later lost his played by her real-life husband now. This is how change happens and teeth and developed bony spurs on Stephen McGann, meeting a wall of how reparation takes place. There is his ribs. His daughter Gilly died at 13 silence from the Ministry of Defence no better reason to do a TV drama.” of Cushing’s syndrome, a rare cancer. as he fights for Derek’s medical
He said: “One of the things they did records. It also paid tribute to veteran