The midwife trilogy call the midwife set: (call the midwife, shadows of the workhouse, farewell to t

Here are the real-life stories that inspired the BBC TV series Call The Midwife – now in a gorgeous box set. London's East End in the 1950s was characterised by tight-knit family communities, larger-than-life characters, and a lively social scene. It was into this world that Jennifer Worth entered as a trainee midwife. But life was tough, and babies were often born in slum conditions. In Call The Midwife, Shadows Of The Workhouse and Farewell To The East End, Jennifer recounts her time among nuns, prostitutes, abortionists, bigamists, gangsters and expectant mothers, eloquently portraying the East Enders' amazing resilience, their warmth and humour in the face of hardship, and the traditions and tales of a bygone era.