Call the Midwife – the usually warm-hearted staple of a winter Sunday night – has certainly put central character Trixie (Helen George) through the emotional wringer over the years, but never has her storyline been as frustrating as in the current season.

The sparky, outspoken midwife – who, if you remember, previously battled alcoholism, recovered from a broken engagement and has dealt with more than her fair share of complex (and sometimes fatal) maternity cases during her time at Nonnatus House – finally looked like she was getting a happy ending when she married dashing Matthew Aylward (Olly Rix) at the end of season 12.

We may have expected at least a season or two of marital bliss before they encountered any problems, but oh no, the Call the Midwife writers callously decided that poor old Trixie wasn’t allowed to have even one year of loved-up happiness with her husband, who has deserted his new bride and moved to New York with his toddler son Jonty.

While their storyline has been left open-ended, with the possibility of a reunion for the couple (more on that later), the clumsy way that their marriage has been handled is infuriating for fans of the newlyweds (and fans of happily-ever-afters in general).

Barely eight months after their wedding (good grief, even a marriage on EastEnders lasts a few weeks longer than that), this season's mean-spirited storyline revealed that there are already severe cracks in the Aylwards' relationship...