Star of Iconic British Drama 'Call the Midwife' Teases a "Disturbing" Christmas Special

Star of Iconic British Drama 'Call the Midwife' Teases a "Disturbing" Christmas Special Jenny Agutter as Sister Julienne in "Call the Midwife"Image via BBC. By  Jake Hodges Published 14 minutes ago In over three years at Collider, senior author Jake has now penned over 2500 articles covering a wide range of TV and film for the resources, lists, utilities, news, and interview teams. Alongside interviewing stars such as Selin Hizli, Rose Ayling-Ellis, and Chelsea Peretti, Jake was lucky enough to visit the set of Aardman and Netflix's Wallace and Gromit: A Vengeance Most Fowl in 2024, getting the chance to chat with four-time Academy Award winner Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham. Jake has also worked for other publications, including Agents of Fandom.  Sign in to your Collider account Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

We're now just a few weeks away from our annual trip to Poplar as we and the nuns of Nonnatus House celebrate Christmas in historical style. The long-running cozy British drama Call the Midwife is set to return this Christmas for its 14th festive special in a row, with Heidi Thomas' series always a firm favorite of millions of households across the U.K. and beyond.

However, for the first time ever, it won't be an East London tale that greets viewers when they tune in on Christmas Day, with the special instead taking place in Hong Kong. Speaking ahead of the latest yuletide outing, star Jenny Agutter, who plays Sister Julienne, has spoken in an interview about the "disturbing" chaos that awaits the mother house in Hong Kong as tragedy strikes.

"We discover the ground underneath the mission has made it collapse," she explained. "It's just sunk away. Some people have died, the whole place is destroyed, and the orphans and mothers have nowhere to go. So, they get a small party together to go out to Hong Kong to see what they can do to help, try and find new premises and take care of things."

"Although it's difficult under the circumstances, there's an excitement in being able to make a difference – and an energy that comes from working in a place where people really need you," Agutter mentions in reference to her own character, adding, "That stays with Sister Julienne. So, when she returns to the UK, it's what she's kind of hankering for." She continued, "Everything is about people being displaced in some way and the changes bringing something new and fresh. But in other ways, it's very disturbing."

Real-World Tragedy Eerily Mirrors the 'Call the Midwife' Christmas Special

Production on both the upcoming Christmas special and Season 15 of Call the Midwife hasn't long wrapped, with filming even taking place on location in Hong Kong. With confirmation that the upcoming festive episode will feature an unexpected tragedy as a building collapses, and even children are caught in the chaos, the news overnight that a similar disaster has actually hit Hong Kong proves eerily chilling. With updates still filtering in following a tragic fire that has already caused many confirmed deaths, the fate of Call the Midwife's Christmas special is the last thing on anyone's mind.

Call the Midwife returns this Christmas. Make sure to stay tuned to Collider for more updates, and follow this link for an update on how to donate to help support families affected by the Tai Po fire.

Call the Midwife

Like Follow Followed TV-PG Drama Release Date January 15, 2012 Network BBC One Directors Sydney Macartney, David O'Neill, Juliet May, Noreen Kershaw, David Tucker, James Larkin, Minkie Spiro, Sheree Folkson, China Moo-Young, Philippa Lowthorpe, Lisa Clarke, Darcia Martin, Jamie Payne, Roger Goldby, Kate Cheeseman, Sarah Esdaile, Christiana Ebohon-Green, Dominic Leclerc, Kate Saxon, Claire Winyard, Thomas Hescott, Ruth Platt, Thaddeus O'Sullivan, Amy Neil Writers Jonathan Harvey, Nicola Wilson, Andrea Gibb, Lucy Catherine, Debbie O'Malley, Sally Abbott, Lena Rae, Susan Everett, Joe Ainsworth, Harriet Warner, Chloe Moss

Cast

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• Vanessa Redgrave Jennifer Worth (voice)
• Helen George Trixie Franklin

Genres Drama Creator(s) Heidi Thomas Powered by Expand Collapse

• TV News
• Call the Midwife
• BBC

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