My sister recommended Bomb Girls, which I cannot get. But it is a story of the women in a factory during WWII. I saw one episode when I was visiting my daughter, and I am sorry I don't get it here.

I am also enjoying the new Upstairs, Downstairs on PBS. This version is set during the period prior to the outbreak of WWII in England. Very interesting to see how they struggled with the rising influence of Nazism and the abdication.

but it's set between the Boer War & World War I (remember the old guy, Joe, whose leg Jenny had to treat? he was a veteran of the Boer War).

That's why it seems so "old-time".

& I was totally intrigued by Upstairs Downstairs.
lots of history, or at least really accurate historical fiction, there.

Of course -- Downton Abbey.

Why is it that nearly all of the shows I like are on during the same three hours on Sunday night? The rest of the week is like a desert. . . er, vast wasteland. Good thing I like to read.

After WWII my uncle was recruited to help modernize a Yorkshire woolen mill. The UK had rationing for a long time after the war; we sent 'care' packages, which my aunt shared with other executive families at the mill. When my mother and I visited England in 1955, we were royally entertained as a thank you for the food parcels. Everything looked much as it does in the Midwives series.

I'm less thrilled with Mad Men now. The early seasons had more 'meat'. It's become too lightweight for me.

I like Midwives much better than the new Upstairs Downstairs. (There's nobody to *like* 'upstairs'!) Looking forward to Downton Abbey.

I'll send DH searching for the Bomb Girls. We enjoyed Land Girls -- series 1 & 2 -- on DVD.

As for the Sunday night overload, sometimes a Sunday show gets repeated during the week, and so I will record it then if it is in conflict with another show on Sunday.

And another show I enjoy set in the Prohibition Era is Boardwalk Empire. Since it is about gangsters, it can be violent.

Can't decide if I like Copper, about a policeman in a poor area of New York city (The Triangle/Hell's Kitchen?) pre Civil War.

It's a great show, showing women working in a bomb factory.

oops, pardon me-I misunderstood!
You're right, Joe was an old guy, don't know how I missed that.

I dunno, I sorta like Lady Agnes, she does the best she can.
& the butler, although a stuffy person (well, he's a butler) is an interesting character-he grew up Quaker & was a CO (conscientious objector) during...well, I'm still confused...during some war.

"Persie", Lady Persephone, Lady Agnes's bratty little sister, is pretty close to despicable, but she adds depth to the show.

& I like, so far anyway, Lord whoever, Lady Agnes's husband.
He takes his responsibilities seriously & he turned down a job offer from Joe Kennedy!

I catch Mad Men when I can...a big fan of this show.

Anyone know?

The Downstairs people are *real people* who earn our concern and interest.

I don't remember feeling as disinterested in Upstairs on the original production that was narrated by "Rose".

Call the Midwife was excellent as usual, & heartbreaking;
it was the episode where a distraught young girl steals a baby.

& Up/Down was really good, too.

sjerin, I don't know which matriarch & housekeeper you remember, but in last night's episode, Lady Agnes visited Rose in a convalescent home (I think it was really an old folks' home).

& Lady Persie just gets worse & worse;
I do think it might be a mistake to make one character such a total brat/bad girl/demon.

I do love seeing how the early Nazis were trying to ooze their way into British society. Loved the new butler's solution to getting Mrs. Simpson's Nazi guest to leave the party. Over the years to come, Mrs. Simpson and the Duke are successfully wooed by Hitler, as I recall.

It was interesting to see the viewpoint, ever so briefly, of those who wanted to appease in the early years/stages. Joe Kennedy and his family arrive to be our diplomat for a short spell before he was called home. He also was wooed by the Nazis. And I find the early discussions of the soon to be great Winston Churchill quite interesting too.

The Jean Marsh character's absence was handled even more strangely, I think. I read that Jean Marsh had a slight stroke and a heart attack last year.

For two other period dramas, you should see if you can find "House of Eliott" (which Atkins and Marsh also wrote) -- I loved that. And I think I've got "The Buccaneers" in my Netflix lineup (not by them, but def a period drama).
Also, "The Duchess of Duke Street" series I got from the library and enjoyed.

Been watching "Call the Midwife," too -- and now I know how to pronounce "midwifery"!

............"
Your midwife will use a small piece of equipment, placed on your belly, to carry out intermittent monitoring. The piece of equipment may be either a hand-held Doppler ultrasound (called a Sonicaid) or an ear trumpet (called a Pinard stethoscope)."

The actor portraying the duke bears a remarkable resemblance to his character.