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Heidi Thomas is a screenwriter and playwright best known for Call the Midwife. The BBC TV series, which began in 2012, was originally a six part adaptation of a trilogy of memoirs by Jennifer Worth, recalling her experiences as a midwife in the East End of London. It was an immediate hit, with 10 million viewers a week, becoming one of BBC One\\u2019s most popular dramas and a fixture in the Christmas schedules.

Born in 1962, Heidi Thomas grew up as the eldest of three children in the leafy suburbs of Liverpool. Her father ran a drain cleaning business while her mother looked after the children, including Heidi\\u2019s youngest brother David, who was born with Down\\u2019s Syndrome.

Heidi studied English at Liverpool University, supporting herself by selling ladies\\u2019 underwear at a department store. During a bout of viral hepatitis, which left her unable to apply for jobs when she graduated, she entered a competition for new plays and won a prize for her debut, All Flesh is Grass. During the production,of her next play, Shamrocks and Crocodiles, she met the actor Stephen McGann. They went on to marry, and many years later Stephen was cast as the GP in Call the Midwife.

After nearly a decade in the theatre, Heidi made the leap into television, first writing on existing series such as Soldier, Soldier and Doctor Finlay. Her other screenwriting credits include Lilies, based on her grandmother\\u2019s recollections, and adaptations of classic novels including Elizabeth Gaskell\\u2019s Cranford, Noel Streatfeild\\u2019s Ballet Shoes and Louisa May Alcott\\u2019s Little Women.

DISC ONE: You Belong to Me by The Duprees \\nDISC TWO: Penny Lane by The Beatles \\nDISC THREE: Gentle on my Mind by Dean Martin \\nDISC FOUR: Who Will Sing Me Lullabies? by Kate Rusby\\nDISC FIVE: The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face by Roberta Flack \\nDISC SIX: Finishing The Hat by Josh Groban \\nDISC SEVEN: Agnus Dei from Requiem, op. 48, conducted by Nigel Short and performed by London Symphony Orchestra Chamber Ensemble and Tenebrae\\nDISC EIGHT: Both Sides, Now by Joni Mitchell

BOOK CHOICE: London Labour and the London Poor by Henry Mayhew\\nLUXURY ITEM: A hot water bottle\\nCASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Both Sides, Now by Joni Mitchell

Presenter: Lauren Laverne\\nProducer: Sarah Taylor