Call the Midwife star Jenny Agutter, who plays Sister Julienne, has revealed that the Call the Midwife 2021 Christmas special will see the return of fan favourite Mother Mildred, played by the iconic Miriam Margolyes.
"Oh, she's a joy. She's a laugh. She's lovely." Jenny revealed. When asked if we’ll see more of her during season 11, she added: "She comes in and out. She's certainly... you know, she remains Mother Superior. So, she's there."
During the festive episode, Mildred will be reading Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol to the children. "Yes, I must say, I did love — it's magical, when she reads that Dickens to the children. I was actually just totally riveted by that. I could have taken that for ages," Jenny added.
This year's festive offering from Call the Midwife, set in December 1966, promises to be a memorable one as Lucille (Leonie Elliott) and Cyril (Zephryn Taitte) prepare for their upcoming winter wedding.
The Nonnatus team are also faced with their busiest Christmas Day ever as the Maternity Home is filled with expectant mums to be, each with their own challenging case.
But while filming for the Christmas special in the summer might have been something of a challenge for the cast and crew, it seems Miriam will have lightened the atmosphere with her up-front attitude and potty mouth off-camera. Miriam recently announced on the radio that there was a swear jar featured on the set of Harry Potter for her foul-mouthed language when she played the role of Professor Sprout.
"I think there were several really," Jenny laughed when asked about whether there was a swear jar on the Call the Midwife set. "We sort of turned a deaf ear to it. Yes. She said to me, 'Did you know I have a bit of a reputation?' I said, 'I had heard.'"
There were also fears earlier this year that Call the Midwife could be leaving BBC1 due to Netflix’s signing of a lease deal at Longcross Studios, the studios in which the series is filmed. But, it's good news for fans, because the BBC reassured viewers that the hit period drama wouldn’t be going anywhere, phew!
Call the Midwife Christmas special airs at 8pm on BBC1 on Christmas Day— see our Christmas TV Guide for full listings.
