Call the Midwife viewers praise One Foot in the Grave star's "tear-jerking" performance

Call The Midwife’s second episode of series eight may have featured a heart-wrenching sickle cell disease tragedy, but it was Annette Crosbie who stole the show.

Viewers of the BBC drama applauded Crosbie ­– an actress best known as Margaret Meldrew in classic sitcom One Foot in the Grave – for her performance as stubborn elderly lady Clarice Milgrove.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cco-Bo7UE5g

The episode saw nurse Lucille (Leonie Elliott) visiting Clarice, who was suffering from a leg ulcer. And, as Lucille soon discovered, Clarice was living amongst the junk she had been hoarding for years, a mess that had authorities threatening to re-home her.

Lucille even learned that Clarice was wrapping up waste meant for the toilet in newspapers before stuffing it up the chimney.

https://twitter.com/CallTheMidwife1/status/1086349026960830464

But despite the rubbish (and smell), the two women quickly bonded, with Clarice showing Lucille a medal she had been given for her role in the suffragettes.

Viewers – including MP David Lammy – hailed the poignant scene, praising Crosbie’s tear-jerking performance.

https://twitter.com/DavidLammy/status/1087092042432430081

https://twitter.com/Marcfish86/status/1087099995780759553

https://twitter.com/sadler_julie/status/1087115181510086658

https://twitter.com/JulieKimber10/status/1087094251681394688

https://twitter.com/stempleton27/status/1087097034480459777

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https://twitter.com/Pip_Brace/status/1087092589688483840

With half of the audience left crying, Clarice’s story had a bittersweet ending. Although she was finally moved to a home, Lucille convinced her to move of her own free will, as "a woman of substance can make a life anywhere".

https://twitter.com/BBCOne/status/1087090136184016896

And that left the other half of the audience bursting into tears...

https://twitter.com/madvixen1983/status/1087089603713085440