At Least Two Characters Could Exit 'Call the Midwife' in the Annual Christmas Special

Lauren Hubbard
·4 min read

Nothing gets Call the Midwife fans in the holiday spirit like the show's annual Christmas special. Here's everything we know so far about the yearly program.

When will the special air?

While American fans generally have to wait weeks or even months after our British counterparts to get a look at new Call the Midwife, the holiday special is an exception to that rule. Just like in the UK, the Christmas special will debut in the US on December 25, 2022 (check your local listing for exact times.)

Characters from the show's past will return

In an interview with Radio Times this summer, Stephen McGann, who plays Dr. Turner on the show, revealed some news that sure to get longtime Midwife fans excited. "Starting with the Christmas special, what I can say is that there is a return of some familiar characters from the past, in a very moving way I think." He added, "I think [the show] draws on its own history again but there’s a lot of the joy of Christmas as usual but there’s also a great story there too and it’s been really enjoyable to do."

As for which characters could be making the return, McGann kept mum, but there are certainly plenty of options. Over the course of the show's first eleven seasons, numerous cast members have come and gone, including Bryony Hannah who played the nurse-turned-nun Cynthia, The Crown's Emerald Fennell as queer nurse Patsy Mount, and Jennifer Kirby who announced her departure from her role as Nurse Valerie Dyer in 2020.

One popular option among fans would be Jessica Raine, who played Jenny Lee, the show's central character in the first three seasons. (While Vanessa Redgrave continues to voice an older version of Lee as the series's narrator, Raine has long been absent from the show.)

However, possibly the most clamored for return would be for Miranda Hart as Camilla Fortescue Cholomondely-Browne (later Noakes) aka Chummy—a fan-favorite who Call the Midwife creator Heidi Thomas previous said she wanted to bring back. "I still hope that one day we will come back to Chummy," she told Daily Mail in 2021.

Nurse Trixie will also be back

Despite the speculation that her abbreviated appearance in season 11 meant she might exit the show (George was busy welcoming a real life baby of her own), behind the scenes photos during the production of the Christmas special show that Nurse Trixie will definitely be home for the holidays.

But some characters may be leaving

In November, The Mirror reported, per an insider, that Fenella Woolgar, who plays Sister Hilda, and Ella Bruccoleri, who plays Sister Frances, will be exiting the show around the Christmas special due to the actresses other commitments. According to the publication, Sister Hilda will not be in the special, her character having been recalled to the Mother House, while Sister Frances is injured during the episode and has to leave to recover.

Whether or not that makes a difference for the characters's potential appearances in the upcoming season 12 is not yet clear.

The special promises a return to pre-pandemic form

Like many productions, Call the Midwife was hit hard by the pandemic, and has continued to operate under some constraints in an effort to prevent the spread of illness. One of the most notable, of course, being that they were limited in how they were able to interact with the real life babies who play the newborns on set.

In a behind the scenes image shared by the show's Instagram account, though, they announced that those restrictions would be easing, allowing them to return to being up close and personal with their most adorable co-stars.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Call the Midwife (@callthemidwife.official)

"Behind the scenes on the new Call the Midwife Christmas Special: Dr Turner gets back to baby holding!" they wrote, in part, in the caption. "The filming of this current festive episode has marked a moving return to business for our cast. The easing of the toughest pandemic restrictions after two long years has meant that our cast are now able to interact more freely once again. This has been a real joy for our team - but none more so than for our own Dr Turner, actor Stephen McGann, who can now return to his favourite on-set hobby: meeting and holding our adorable newborns!!"

As the show is known for its realistic birthing scenes (the show employs a midwifery adviser to walk the actors through the experience) and the use of real newborns on set (a single season can see 70-80 tiny actors make their debuts), the pandemic posed a particular challenge for Call the Midwife and how they filmed some of their most famous moments. Now, with the return of their more traditional methods, it sounds like fans will have just as much to get excited about as the cast and crew.

You Might Also Like