The first images from the upcoming Call the Midwife prequel have been released, showing a young Sister Julienne as never seen before. Helena Wilson plays the younger version of the character, long portrayed by Jenny Agutter, in Call the Midwife: Sisters in Arms, a three-part BBC special set to air this Christmas.
Julie Hesmondhalgh, known for her role in Coronation Street, appears for the first time as Sister Alice. The photos also feature Ellie McKay, Liv Andrusier, and Lizzie Back as young nurses Sybil, Olive, and Marianne. The release marks the end of filming on the festive special.
Heidi Thomas on the Emotional Storylines
Writer Heidi Thomas admitted to weeping during some storylines. “I was surprised how many new emotions Sisters in Arms sparked. In particular, the evacuation of Poplar’s children, and the fear that they may not make it home for Christmas, had us all in tears.”
The story begins in September 1939, with favorite characters Sister Monica Joan, Sister Julienne, and Sister Evangelina in their prime, and Nonnatus House as the heart of Poplar. Alongside Sister Alice and local GP Dr. Kit, the nuns work without gas and air, penicillin, a TB cure, or a welfare state. When war is declared, life becomes harder: the Blitz forces women to give birth underground while streets are reduced to rubble.
Filming Amid a Heatwave
Thomas noted the cast and crew battled soaring summer temperatures during filming. “Call the Midwife has a long and noble history of filming Christmas specials during heatwaves,” she said. “This year we welcomed the snow-machine back to the Nonnatus House set like an old friend.”
She described the series as being about what happens when women go to war. “It is about love and birth, separation and courage, lipstick and nylons (or the lack thereof). But it is also a medical drama, set in a devastating landscape where even the nurses cannot know if they will live till morning.”
Other moments also moved her to tears. “I thought I had cried all my tears when Sister Monica Joan died. But the thought of her back on her bike, cycling through an air raid, set me off again, as did images of young Sister Julienne shaking when the sirens sound, and Fred Buckle still in his 20s, black with soot and sweat as a volunteer fireman. Then I'd be laughing at Sister Evangelina, in her element as an Air Raid Warden, or the juvenile Dr Turner turning up at a dance and being shy with girls.”
Thomas called writing the series “a joy - like returning to the family home and finding all the people I have ever loved made young again and filled with new energy.”
Agutter's Role and Future Plans
Jenny Agutter will serve as narrator, bookending each episode in the style of Vanessa Redgrave's narration on the main show. BBC drama boss Lindsay Salt expressed pride in the new direction: “The cast assembled for Sisters in Arms are every bit as wonderful as Heidi’s scripts - we can’t wait to take BBC viewers to the Poplar of 1939 to get to know them.”
Producers also announced plans for a big-screen adaptation set in the 1970s, a 16th series of the main show, and a full run of Sisters in Arms.
