It’s strange how often in TV shows we see two people meet, fall in love and then, in the next scene, they have a little baby, the apotheosis of their joy. What this version of conception elides is all the intermediate things: agonised discussions about the future, tentative decisions, months of fruitless endeavour, miscarriages, doctor’s appointments, fertility clinic visits, and then – and perhaps only possibly – a little baby. And so, Babies, a new six-part drama from Marriage writer Stefan Golaszkewski arrives, this week, as a much-needed corrective to our overly simplified pregnancy narrative.
Lisa (Siobhán Cullen) and Stephen (Paapa Essiedu) are a married couple in their mid-thirties. Watching their friends and family descend into baby chaos is hard: they have recently suffered a miscarriage and are considering whether, and when, to give it another go. “I feel like we should start trying again,” Lisa confesses. “Well, if you do insist on having sex with me over and over again until you get pregnant,” Stephen replies with a smirk. But his charm is a defence mechanism, and they both understand the stakes of a process that will see multiple miscarriages test their emotional resolve and the strength of their relationship. At the same time, Stephen’s feckless mate Dave (Jack Bannon), who has a kid from a previous relationship, is falling for Amanda (Charlotte Riley), a slightly older woman with her own history of loss. In parallel, these two stories unfold, with each couple grappling with what they have and what they’re missing.
