Babies Reviews: Critics Praise ‘Distressing’ Pregnancy Loss Drama

The BBC’s new TV offering could well be about to become one of the year’s most talked-about dramas.

Emmy and Bafta-nominated I May Destroy You star Paapa Essiedu and Bodkin’s Siobhán Cullen take the lead in the new six-part series Babies, which centres around a young couple and their struggles to conceive.

Early reviews have heaped praise on the new drama’s performances, as well as its unflinching approach to themes of miscarriage and pregnancy loss, though critics have acknowledged that this makes Babies a difficult and potentially triggering watch for those affected by these topics.

However, many have also pointed out that the drama also features moments of “bittersweet” relief and scenes of hope to counterbalance its more “hard-hitting” moments.

Here’s a selection of what has been said about Babies so far…

“Although there are a lot of distressing, incredibly hard-hitting scenes in the six episodes of Babies, and it does go to some seriously dark, upsetting places, it is not a ubiquitously grim watch. In many ways, it is also hopeful, filled with some genuinely funny moments, some uplifting revelations and thoughts on how to cope during difficult times, and some keen observations about human behaviour.”

“A bittersweet drama […] Siobhán Cullen and Paapa Essiedu are achingly convincing as Lisa and Stephen, an ordinary London couple in their 30s trying to have a baby. The pair navigate the rollercoaster of pregnancy, loss and grief more than once, as they continue to get through life’s mundanities and special little moments.”

“All in all, Babies is as heartening as it is heartbreaking. Is it slow at times? Yes. But I came to realise that the stillness can be essential […] I didn’t find Babies easy to watch, but doing so touched me in ways I’ll be thinking about for a while.”

“Bafta-winning writer Stefan Golaszewski is a byword for thoughtful, exquisitely cast, contemporary TV drama […] This time, the intensity is sky-high again but laced here and there with humour as he takes on the emotionally freighted subject of a couple’s longing to have a child […] It’s a drama of silences, quiet moments, social awkwardnesses and deep yearnings, with Cullen and Essiedu hugely sympathetic in their portrayal of the intense ups and downs in otherwise ordinary lives.”

“Its low-key slow-burn style won’t be to everyone’s taste, and it will be difficult viewing for any woman who’s tragically lost a child in pregnancy.”

“A tender, moving exploration of love, loss and hope […] This is a drama that doesn’t shy away from the difficult moments, despite dark times of grief and loneliness, it’s also about resilience, connection and the small victories that keep hope alive.”

“Essiedu has easily given the best performance of his career so far in new BBC drama, Babies […] It’s one of the most gut-wrenching and honest portrayals of baby loss that I’ve ever seen, charting every possible emotion any person is capable of handling throughout. The grief is unimaginable, but somehow, there is always light and love at the end of the tunnel.”

“An incredibly accomplished piece of television in almost every regard. Essiedu and Cullen have extraordinary chemistry […] We don’t need to warn you any further about the subject matter. However, we can also say this: Babies may make you weep, but there will be happy tears, too.”

All six episodes of Babies are now streaming on BBC iPlayer.

• Sands works to support anyone affected by the death of a baby.
• Tommy’s fund research into miscarriage, stillbirth and premature birth, and provide pregnancy health information to parents.
• Saying Goodbye offers support for anyone who has suffered the loss of a baby during pregnancy, at birth or in infancy.