Call the Midwife fans in tears after emotional return of series 10

Call the Midwife returned with series 10 last night (April 18th), and had fans in floods of tears with a poignant storyline that focused on a devastating historic event.

The beloved BBC One period drama from creator Heidi Thomas follows the lives of the Nonnatus nuns, nurses and midwives in east London's Poplar, with the new series arriving in 1966.

Episode 1 featured a young couple named Audrey (Kathryn Wilder) and Derek Fleming (Jack Colgrave Hirst) preparing to welcome their first child together after years of trying to conceive. Upon their baby son Christopher's arrival, it was discovered that he was born with no legs below the knees, which was linked to a condition suffered by his father. Christopher died shortly after his birth.

While Audrey had been pregnant with their son, dad Derek had complained of stomach pains, which Dr Patrick Turner (Stephen McGann) had initially believed to be an ulcer. But it turned out to be something far more serious, as Derek had been exposed to high radiation levels from being near nuclear bomb testing at Christmas Island while serving on Operation Grapple.

This was the cause of their baby's missing limbs, Dr Turner concluded.

"Only the first episode of the new series of Call The Midwife and I'm already in tears. This show continues to be that rare gem of both heartbreaking and heartwarming," one viewer wrote on Twitter.

"Yep #CallTheMidwife is back with the rollercoaster of emotions of heart warming & heart breaking all in one episode," another added.

The episode also featured Sister Julienne (Jenny Agutter) devising a plan to work with a private London clinic the Lady Emily, to offer them their midwives in return for money in an attempt to stop Nonnatus House from closing following the threat of demolition.

Helen George's Nurse Trixie has training alongside doctors.

Call the Midwife continues on BBC One on Sundays at 8pm.

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