It is now almost 15 years since viewers were first transported back in time to the East End of London in the late 1950s, following a group of midwives and Anglican nuns dealing with the pressures of their day-to-day lives, while trying to cope with the ever-changing world around them. Call The Midwife has become one of the most popular dramas in TV history since its launch in 2012, remaining a ratings hit for the BBC, with millions tuning in every winter to watch the warm period drama.
It was created by Heidi Thomas, originally based on the memoirs of Jennifer Worth, who worked with the Community of St. John the Divine, an Anglican religious order, at their convent in the East End. There have since been 15 series of the period drama, with viewers having followed the goings-on in Poplar and Nonnatus House, through stories from the 50s, 60s, and 70s being told, including the expansion of the NHS, with the help of narration from Oscar-winning English actress Vanessa Redgrave.
Award-Winning Drama and Upcoming Spin-Offs
Over the years, Call the Midwife has won at the BAFTAs, TV Choice Awards and National Television Awards. It added to its haul on Tuesday with a victory at The Television and Radio Industries Club Awards. But it was previously revealed that the 2026 series, which aired earlier this year, was going to be the last before a prequel and a movie spin-off on the big screen.
The upcoming Call The Midwife: Sisters In Arms will explore the origins of the East London convent run by nurses, midwives, and Anglican nuns from the original hit series, set amid the backdrop of the Second World War and the Blitz. The BBC has announced that filming was underway in June for the three-part Christmas special, which will feature a number of celebrity guest stars.
Where Are They Now?
With changes to our Call the Midwife viewing ahead, it's left us at the Manchester Evening News, reminiscing about the original series, and the cast involved. Here we look back at the characters and what happened to the actors who played them.
Jessica Raine starred as the main character, Jennifer 'Jenny' Lee, in the first three series of Call the Midwife. Her time in Poplar came to an end after the death of her boyfriend, Alec Jesmond, nursing her friend Chummy’s dying mother, and meeting her future husband, Philip Worth. The character left in 2014 to work with those receiving end-of-life care, with it being cited that Jessica had decided to leave to pursue a film career in the United States.
The actress has since appeared in many popular TV shows, including Line of Duty and The Devil's Hour. She has also had roles in stage and radio plays, but most recently she took on the lead role in Two Weeks in August, a British BBC drama series in which her character, Zoe, is on holiday with her family and friends when she finds herself trapped on a Greek island.
Jenny Agutter is best known for playing Sister Julienne, the wise and compassionate Sister-in-Charge of Nonnatus House, in the beloved series. But she began her career as a child actress in 1964, appearing in East of Sudan, Star!, and two adaptations of The Railway Children: the BBC's 1968 television serial and the 1970 film version. She also won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama for her role in the TV film, The Snow Goose. She relocated to the United States in 1974 to pursue a Hollywood career and returned to the UK in the 90s for her family life, which is also when she shifted her career to focus more on TV roles.
That being said, alongside her Call the Midwife role, her film work in recent years includes 2012's The Avengers and Captain America: The Winter Soldier in 2014, and in 2022, she returned to the world of The Railway Children by reprising her role from the 1970 film 52 years later in a sequel, The Railway Children Return.
Fan Favourites and Their Later Roles
Pam Ferris' character, Sister Evangelina, quickly became a fan favourite on the show before sadly passing away at the end of series five after having a stroke. But Pam was already well known for her acting work ahead of appearing in Call the Midwife, and it would be amiss for us not to mention her iconic role as Miss Trunchbull in the 1996 classic, Matilda, as well as her role in the final series of the BBC comedy Gavin & Stacey as Neil 'Smithy' Smith's mother, Cath Smith. After Call the Midwife, Pam went on to star in the 2018 Sherlock Holmes parody Holmes & Watson alongside Will Ferrell, and also played Mrs. Faulkner in 2019's Tolkien.
Actress and comedian Miranda Hart was seen playing timid midwife Camilla Cholomondely-Browne, affectionately known as Chummy, in the BBC drama from the first series in 2012 until series four in 2015, blaming scheduling conflicts as the reason for her departure. Since leaving the show, Miranda, who was already experiencing success with her BBC sitcom, Miranda, co-starred in the comedy film Spy, and played Miss Bates in the Jane Austen adaptation film, Emma. She is currently appearing on the second series of The Celebrity Traitors. Away from her work, it is only in recent years that Miranda has let fans into her personal life. She revealed that she is married, having tied the knot with husband Richard Fairs, and she's also been candid about her battle with Lyme disease.
Helen George has portrayed Beatrix 'Trixi' Aylward - nee Franklin - in Call the Midwife since the start. She has also appeared in the short film The Monster, Red Dwarf, Nativity Rocks! and D. I. Ray. In August 2015, Helen was announced as one of the celebrities who would compete in the thirteenth series of Strictly Come Dancing. She was partnered with professional dancer Aljaž Škorjanec. Despite consistently receiving high marks from the judges, she was eliminated in week 11, finishing sixth. Meanwhile, since Call the Midwife's break, Helen starred as Tracy Lord in Cole Porter's musical High Society at the Barbican Theatre in London from May to July 2026. It comes after she appeared in The King and I, playing Anna Leonowens, at the Dominion Theatre London in 2024, and starred as the Fairy Godmother in Richmond Theatre's pantomime Cinderella last year. She also started co-hosting a new weekly podcast, Mystic Mates, alongside close friend and fellow actor Yvette Robinson. Mystic Mates launched in July and was described as a "space for funny, honest and deeply personal conversations." Helen and Yvette will explore everything from "relationships, motherhood and grief to intuition and spirituality".
Bryony Hannah was seen as Cynthia Miller across the first six series and there was heartbreak when the nun left the series after she was attacked by a serial criminal and fell into a deep depression. Since leaving the show, Bryony has been part of the CBBC animated series Bing, and has also had parts in the films The Last Duel and Firebrand. Her last TV appearance came in 2025 in Talamasca: The Secret Order, an American supernatural horror spy thriller drama.
More Original Cast Members
Judy Parfitt is beloved for playing Sister Monica Joan in the popular series, with the nun having dedicated her life to serving the poor of London's East End, before living in retirement at Nonnatus House. But there were heartbreaking scenes at the end of series 15, as Sister Monica Joan sadly died after deciding to stop taking her medication. She saw a vision of Sister Evangelina, marking a brief return for Pam Ferris to the role. Her old friend told her: "You have shilly-shallied long enough. Even the Almighty’s patience has worn thin." When Sister Monica Joan asked what it would be like in Heaven, Sister Evangelina added: "It’s everything we were promised, and all that you have worked for." Before joining the show, actress Judy was known for many roles, including a notable appearance in the ITV series The Jewel in the Crown, for which she received her first BAFTA award nomination. The 90-year-old is not known to be working on any other projects.
Actress Laura Main has been a much-loved part of the period drama first aired in 2012. She was first introduced to fans as Sister Bernadette, who began questioning her religious calling during the second season. She later made the brave choice to leave the St. Raymond Nonnatus order and tie the knot with Dr Patrick Turner. Since known by her name, Shelagh Turner, the character has been able to continue as a nurse helping the people of Poplar, but is also a devoted mother to Timothy, Angela, May, and Teddy. Beyond the show, Scottish actress Laura has been continuing her stage work. In 2017, she landed the role of Princess Fiona in the second UK tour of Shrek The Musical and in 2023, she starred as M'lynn in a production of Steel Magnolias.
While he was already known for playing Minty Peterson in EastEnders, having starred in the BBC One soap for eight years, Cliff Parisi has also been part of the period drama since 2012, playing loveable handyman Fred Buckle at Nonnatus House, but not only that, he's also been a sympathetic ear to many over the years. Over the years, viewers have seen Fred marry Councillor Violet Buckle, with the pair living with their adopted son, Reggie. They're known for running the newsagent shop, not far from Nonnatus House, while Violet also owns a haberdashery. Beyond EastEnders and Call the Midwife, Parisi has played a variety of roles in some of Britain's most popular TV shows over the years, including Casualty, Hollyoaks, Outnumbered, The Darling Buds of May, and London's Burning. Since being part of the show, Cliff has also appeared on I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here in 2019.
Adored GP Dr. Patrick Turner first arrived in Poplar during the debut episode of Call the Midwife, which aired in 2012, and has since remained a favourite among fans. But Stephen has an even deeper connection to the show than just playing Dr Turner, as in real life, he is married to Call the Midwife creator Heidi Thomas, and the couple have a son together. Speaking about her husband, Heidi previously told Good Housekeeping: "I live with Stephen McGann who plays Dr Turner, because we’ve been married for 30 years and so he’s the character I know best off screen." She added: "Sometimes it’s a little bit hard to tell where Stephen McGann my husband and Dr Turner my character begin! But there are other things where they’re not remotely like one another, for example, Steve can’t do a forceps delivery."
Peter Noakes, played by Ben Caplan, ended up married to Chummy in the series, but he was first seen at the start of the first episode, when he was trying to break up a fight between two women in the street, until it was stopped by Sister Evangelina. Peter appeared until season six when Phyllis Crane (Linda Bassett) accidentally hit a young boy with her car. Actor Ben went on to play the character Jim in the 2022 British drama film Pretty Red Dress, and he also starred in the 2021 series, Lagging.
