Vintage Pram Fan

For Fans of Silver Cross and all Vintage Prams

BBC Call the Midwife comments

Posted by Lucy On January - 29 - 2013

Thank you so much to those who sent in comments regarding my recent post about the BBC Call The Midwife pram blunder, it certainly caused a lot of discussion. Here are the comments sent to me:

 

Hi, 

I’m sure lots of Vintage Pram Fans noticed that mistake.

Looking forward to May when once again I can take my new grandson out in my 90′s silverstream, which is a magnet in my village.

I will try and get to the 40′s weekend in Stanhope, where I live, this summer to see other pram fans.
keep up the good work
Kind regards, Christine  

One of the mums at our school is very high up on the production of this programme. I told her it was not the right type of pram and I shall send her these pictures. Well done, they should get it right.

Brenda.

I suppose the BBC wanted to portray a brand new pram to tie in with the story, but they could have got a restored older model instead of this one.

Hilary

Why don’t these tv people check they have got things right, vintage and retro are very much in fashion just now, I dread to think what else they will get in the wrong era in other programmes, all they had to do was look on the Internet for a fifties pram to see the style, but I suspect you are right Lucy, they think all prams are the same.

Enid

Thank you, I have just bought an Allwin pushchair so I can also attend more forties events this summer. This is a picture of the pushchair, not sure of its exact age but I remember my aunt having a similar one for her baby in the 1950s, yet another pram which would show the Props Dept of “Call the Midwife” the kind of prams around in that era.

And a final comment, from Kay:
Hi Lucy – I was one of those who gasped! I do enjoy the programme but couldn’t understand how such an obvious mistake would be made.
Yet it isn’t the first time a pram has been whisked into another decade – Tony Robinson (Timeteam) was doing a programme a year or two ago, and it involved building a street of houses in the middle of nowhere, then blowing them up – the point being to show how much, and the kind of,  damage the London Blitz caused. To make the street look realistic, milk bottles etc were added as in a real street, along with a – wait for it – lovely navy Tenby pram! As the Blitz took place in 1941, the tv folk were way out with that one.
Another was Foyles War – the episode took place just after the finish of the 2nd world war, and what should appear but a lovely Milano pram – again, a few decades too early.
The props people mustn’t know about all the knowledgable ladies, easily reachable on the internet, who could sort a 1940′s model of pram out in no time!
Best wishes
Kay
Many thanks for this interesting comment Kay, and below are a couple more comments that people have sent in about other posts:
I really love getting these snippets of photos and info.  Keep up the good work.
Beautiful little Wilsonette, l would love to own one of these. Thank you for this information. Elizabeth
Many thanks to all of you and
if anyone else would like to comment on any posts on here,
please visit the website
www.VintagePramFan.com
and write your comment under the relevant section. 
Categories: Silver Cross

5 Responses

  1. Santos says:
    January 31, 2013 at 3:34 pm

    Since I am in the Television Business I might shed some light on “PrammyGate”:
    A lot of anachronisms pop up in production because an aesthetic decision is made by the Director or Production Designer. Generally the Art Director or Prop Master brings a series of props to the set in different colors and styles. The ultimate decision of what goes on the screen is left to the Director, BUT in some cases others will chime in with a different opinion: the Director of Photography might say that a prop has too many reflective surfaces (which will give away the set lighting), the Production Designer might think it is the wrong color, or the Executive Producer (that will be me!) might say that is does not look old enough.

    My gut feeling is that they needed a Pram which looked new, and rather than searching out a restored one they grabbed whatever was available which fit the bill.

    Reply
    • Lucy says:
      January 31, 2013 at 4:39 pm

      Many thanks for your comment, I appreciate your input on this very much.

      Reply
    • Annis Sokol says:
      February 16, 2013 at 7:49 pm

      I too noticed that the pram was made after the 1950′s What a mistake and it must have been made by someone who didn’t know much about babies. I have 10 prams in my collection but only one baby to go in them! Does anyone know someone who will make a new hood for my Lincoln Royale? They can contact me on Facebook.

      Reply
      • Lucy says:
        February 18, 2013 at 12:17 am

        If you look through my earlier posts on here you will find details of Jacki Canning in Leeds who makes excellent new hoods and aprons.

        Reply
  2. Isabel Lavis says:
    January 31, 2013 at 7:48 pm

    I also noticed the modern pram in the 1958 setting of Call the Midwife, likewise in Privates the other day set in 1960 they had a 1969 Morris Minor Come on BBC get it right we do notice you know !!!

    Reply

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