Call the Midwife season 13 is here and new faces and fresh challenges are on their way.
The drama, which returns on Sunday, January 7 at 9pm on BBC One in the UK and on Sunday, March 17 on PBS in the US, is set in 1969 and sees the residents of Nonnatus House welcome pupil midwives Joyce Highland (Renee Bailey) and Rosalind Clifford (Natalie Quarry).
Meanwhile, as the team tackles a host of tricky cases and deals with conditions ranging from tetanus to tuberculosis, the opening episode finds head nun Sister Julienne (Jenny Agutter) encountering a pregnant woman who has cerebral palsy.
Here, Jenny Agutter reveals what to expect from Call the Midwife season 13…
Call the Midwife is back! What does 1969 bring?
Jenny Agutter: “We have some wonderful moments. The year brings social problems, medical breakthroughs and changes. We also see the idea of nurses fighting for better pay, which is interesting for Sister Julienne. And what’s interesting for me is that we are going through that all over again [today].”
How does she feel about the arrival of the pupil midwives?
Jenny Agutter: “Bringing them in is an exciting thing for Sister Julienne, and she instigated it. When you have new characters, you bring in new experiences, and I like the way that makes you up to date too. Sister Julienne tries to stay with the times, but she's a nun, so in many ways her world is closed. But there’s a youthful energy about these people who are training and developing.”
Sister Julienne encounters mum-to-be Doreen (comic Rosie Jones), who has cerebral palsy, and realises she previously met Doreen’s family during World War Two. What can you reveal?
Jenny Agutter: “This made me think again about what it was like during the war, how difficult the circumstances were and where responsibility lies when someone is under pressure. We see how things can come back to haunt you…”
The case leads Sister Julienne to make a difficult discovery. How does that affect her?
Jenny Agutter: “It’s a turnaround because Sister Julienne is usually in control of situations. But in this case, things fall apart and she can’t deal with it. She faces huge guilt. But Shelagh [Sister Julienne’s colleague, played by Laura Main] gives her strength and it is lovely they get a moment together. The story is beautifully written and very affecting. When I read it, it made me terribly upset.”
Did you enjoy working with Rosie Jones?
Jenny Agutter: “I was delighted to work with Rosie! She has vitality and humour and is full of jokes, so that made it good fun. It was an absolute joy to have her on set. Everybody loved her. And it’s interesting what she brings to the character. I think people will understand so much more about cerebral palsy [which Rosie also has].”
Later in the series, Poplar is excited by the moon landing of July 1969. Do you have your own memories of that?
Jenny Agutter: “Yes, I was a teenager and I remember being on the Isle of Wight, where we'd gone on holiday. I hid behind the sofa because I was terrified of things going wrong. I kept watching the whole thing over the top of the chair and my brother was teasing me. It was a moment in history, so it’s extraordinary to do it for the show. It’s really exciting!”
Call the Midwife returns on Sunday, January 7 at 8pm on BBC One in the UK and on Sunday, March 17 on PBS in the US.
