The Call the Midwife 2021 Christmas special sees wedding bells preparing to ring out in Poplar for Lucille and Cyril, but will they make it up the aisle? The feature-length edition of the much-loved period drama, airing on BBC1 on Christmas Day (see our Christmas TV guide for more shows to enjoy), sees caring midwife Lucille, played by Leonie Elliott, getting ready for her Boxing Day nuptials to her mechanic fiancé (Zephryn Taitte). But a medical incident throws a huge spanner in the works that could threaten their big day.
We caught up with Leonie Elliott to find out more about the Call the Midwife Christmas special...
'Call the Midwife' is always a Christmas highlight. How did you find filming Lucille and Cyril’s wedding preparations?
“It was wonderful and interesting to put on a wedding dress. I've never done that before in my personal life or as an actress! It just makes you feel elegant with the corset and train. It was exciting and started to feel like a real wedding because when I had fittings for the custom-made dress, our wardrobe designer, Claire, brought prosecco and played wedding music. It was lovely!”
Lucille’s wedding is thrown into jeopardy though when she needs treatment with leeches! Was that hard to shoot?!
“Luckily we only used the real leeches for one take, but I freaked out because one of our makeup artists said, ‘It touched your face!’ Stephen [McGann, who plays Dr Turner] wasn't fazed though!”
What do you love about Lucille and Cyril’s relationship?
“I love that their relationship has been a slow-burner and has taken time to build. Lucille came to Britain to work and that's what she wanted to focus on, she wasn’t thinking about love at all. Usually in a series, relationships are developed very quickly, whereas this feels very organic and natural. And Zephryn’s a lovely actor to work with!”
Have you become fond of Lucille?
“I’d like to think I practise kindness as much as I can in my own life but I think she’s quite inspiring because she is so kind to everyone and very diligent and hardworking, so I could probably take a leaf out of Lucille’s book!”
You filmed in the spring and summer, was it hard to get into the festive mood?
“Well, the snow machine helps!”
What are your Christmas plans?
“Last year I couldn't see my family so it’ll be nice to have dinner together and watch Call the Midwife. My family will love to see it, I sent my mum pictures when I was going for the wedding dress fittings!”
When can I watch the 'Call the Midwife' Christmas special?
The episode airs on BBC1 at 8pm on Christmas Day and will also be available on BBC iPlayer. Meanwhile, a US release date has now been confirmed. The Call the Midwife Christmas special will be shown on PBS on Christmas Day at 9.00pm ET. Call the Midwife season 11 is also on the way.
