{"id":207745,"date":"2025-12-24T00:54:09","date_gmt":"2025-12-24T00:54:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/207745\/"},"modified":"2025-12-24T00:54:09","modified_gmt":"2025-12-24T00:54:09","slug":"sheridan-smiths-engaging-period-drama-with-call-the-midwifes-jenny-agutter-is-streaming-for-free","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/207745\/","title":{"rendered":"Sheridan Smith&#8217;s &#8220;engaging&#8221; period drama with Call the Midwife&#8217;s Jenny Agutter is streaming for free"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"1\" class=\"css-18ljdn6 emevuu60\">If you&#8217;re looking for a family movie to curl up on the sofa and enjoy over the festive period, Channel 5\u2019s streaming service has just added 2022&#8217;s The Railway Children Return to its library to watch for free. <\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"4\" class=\"css-18ljdn6 emevuu60\">Starring Sheridan Smith and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/call-the-midwife\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/call-the-midwife\/\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"Call the Midwife\" data-node-id=\"4.1.0\" class=\"body-link css-1lh7k7j emevuu60\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Call the Midwife<\/a>&#8216;s Jenny Agutter, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/movies\/a62044792\/railway-children-return-netflix-jenny-agutter\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/movies\/a62044792\/railway-children-return-netflix-jenny-agutter\/\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"the drama\" data-node-id=\"4.3\" class=\"body-link css-1lh7k7j emevuu60\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">the drama<\/a> is a sequel to the 1970 film The Railway Children, which was based on the E Nesbit&#8217;s novel of the same name. Agutter reprises her role as Bobbie Waterbury from the first film, who is now all grown up and experiencing war again, this time as a grandmother.<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"6\" class=\"css-18ljdn6 emevuu60\">Set in 1944 as the Second World War sees bombs falling on Britain, it follows the Watts children, led by eldest daughter Lily, who are evacuated from Manchester to a village in Yorkshire.<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"10\" class=\"css-18ljdn6 emevuu60\">The siblings are then sent to live with Bobbie Waterbury (Agutter), her daughter Annie (Smith) and her son Thomas (Adolescence&#8217;s Austin Haynes).<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"12\" class=\"css-18ljdn6 emevuu60\">While living with the family, near a US Army base they befriend Abe (KJ Aikens), an African-American soldier, who is injured and hiding a big secret that puts himself and potentially Lily in danger. <\/p>\n<p><img draggable=\"true\" alt=\"sheridan smith, jenny agutter, the railway children return\" title=\"Sheridan Smith, Jenny Agutter, The Railway Children Return\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1920\" height=\"783\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" style=\"color:transparent;width:100%;height:auto;\"   src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/the-railway-children-return-official-trailer-66d6d6497dff6.jpg\" class=\"css-0 e1g79fud0\"\/><\/p>\n<p>StudioCanal<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"15\" class=\"css-18ljdn6 emevuu60\">Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/tech\/best-tech-deals\/g35899960\/best-streaming-services\/\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/tech\/best-tech-deals\/g35899960\/best-streaming-services\/\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"Best streaming services in 2025\" data-node-id=\"15.0.1\" class=\"body-link css-1lh7k7j emevuu60\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Best streaming services in 2025<\/a><br data-node-id=\"15.1\"\/><\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"17\" class=\"css-18ljdn6 emevuu60\">The Railway Children Return received mostly positive reviews upon its release in 2022. <\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"19\" class=\"css-18ljdn6 emevuu60\">In its review, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.empireonline.com\/movies\/reviews\/the-railway-children-return\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.empireonline.com\/movies\/reviews\/the-railway-children-return\/\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"Empire\" data-node-id=\"19.1.0\" class=\"body-link css-1lh7k7j emevuu60\">Empire<\/a> compared the film to the original, writing: &#8220;The Railway Children Return is engaging and entertaining in different ways, winningly played by its fresh cast.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"21\" class=\"css-18ljdn6 emevuu60\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/film\/2022\/jul\/03\/the-railway-children-return-review-family-classic-sequel-stays-on-track\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/film\/2022\/jul\/03\/the-railway-children-return-review-family-classic-sequel-stays-on-track\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"The Guardian\" data-node-id=\"21.0.0\" class=\"body-link css-1lh7k7j emevuu60\">The Guardian<\/a> wrote: &#8220;It\u2019s an amiable and ingenious tribute to the innocent, good-natured spirit of the original.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"23\" class=\"css-18ljdn6 emevuu60\">Back in 2022, Agutter spoke to Digital Spy about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/movies\/a40574660\/railway-children-sequel-jenny-agutter-return-why\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/movies\/a40574660\/railway-children-sequel-jenny-agutter-return-why\/\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"her decision to return for the Railway Children sequel\" data-node-id=\"23.3\" class=\"body-link css-1lh7k7j emevuu60\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">her decision to return for the Railway Children sequel<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"25\" class=\"css-18ljdn6 emevuu60\">&#8220;I like the idea of being Bobbie much later on,&#8221; she said. &#8220;That Bobbie somehow survived through that first and second world war.<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"27\" class=\"css-18ljdn6 emevuu60\">&#8220;I think [book author] E Nesbit would have liked the idea of it as well, because they all believed in time travel and in some funny way being able to time travel and bring something from the past to another period of time, which doesn&#8217;t belong to us, but affects us.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"29\" class=\"css-18ljdn6 emevuu60\">The Railway Children Return is streaming now on Channel 5. <\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"32\" class=\"css-18ljdn6 emevuu60\">Love TV? Get your Christmas viewing sorted with the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.goodhousekeeping.com\/uk\/gh-christmas-tv-guide?utm_source=digital&amp;utm_medium=digitalspy&amp;utm_campaign=Royale25\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"http:\/\/www.goodhousekeeping.com\/uk\/gh-christmas-tv-guide?utm_source=digital&amp;utm_medium=digitalspy&amp;utm_campaign=Royale25\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"Good Housekeeping Christmas TV Guide\" data-node-id=\"32.2\" class=\"body-link css-1lh7k7j emevuu60\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Good Housekeeping Christmas TV Guide<\/a>, featuring 14 days of Christmas TV listings, plus everything you need for the ultimate festive viewing experience! Just \u00a34.75 \u2013 available now at Morrisons, TG Jones and all other good magazine retailers. <\/p>\n<p><img src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1766537649_494_bf27485d-d6ab-47b2-bab1-8e1da89fcf98_1686135973.file\" alt=\"Headshot of Stephanie Chase\" title=\"Headshot of Stephanie Chase\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"css-o0wq4v ev8dhu53\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Reporter, Digital Spy\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Stephanie is a writer who specialises in pro wrestling, covering everything from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/aew\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">AEW <\/a>and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/wwe\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">WWE<\/a> to NJPW.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>After graduating with a degree in history from Queen Mary University, London, she went on to study journalism at Birbeck University.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Outside of her journalism work Stephanie is also a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/c\/stephaniechasewrestling\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">YouTube content creator<\/a> focusing on AEW and interviewing talent from AEW, WWE, and across the indie wrestling scene. She has also worked for Revolution Pro Wrestling as a backstage interviewer and commentator.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/stephaniemchase\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">LinkedIn<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If you&#8217;re looking for a family movie to curl up on the sofa and enjoy over the festive&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":207746,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[1105,108736,1107,93,61,60,1135,270,108735],"class_list":{"0":"post-207745","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-movies","8":"tag-content-type-news","9":"tag-contentid-84d2bff5-bb85-4548-ae74-e25c72ec7da4","10":"tag-displaytype-standard-article","11":"tag-entertainment","12":"tag-ie","13":"tag-ireland","14":"tag-locale-gb","15":"tag-movies","16":"tag-shorttitle-the-railway-children-return-is-streaming-for-free"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/207745","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=207745"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/207745\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/207746"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=207745"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=207745"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=207745"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}