Veteran actress Judy Parfitt has spoken candidly about her emotional reaction to the news that the beloved BBC drama Call the Midwife is set to take a production break. The 90-year-old star, who has played the eccentric and wise Sister Monica Joan since the show's launch in January 2012, admitted the hiatus 'really shakes' her.
A Beloved Institution Goes on Pause
The upcoming sixteenth series of the period drama, which moves the story into 1971, will be followed by a significant pause in filming for the main show. This break is to make way for two new projects set within the Call the Midwife universe: a prequel series set in Poplar during World War II and a spin-off film set overseas in 1972. The new series begins on Sunday, 11 January at 8pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
For Parfitt, the change in routine will be profoundly felt. She explained to Radio Times that her annual cycle has long been built around the show's production schedule. "From about the beginning of March, you start thinking how lovely it’ll be to see everyone and start working again," she said. "Then it’s April, and I usually look forward to April. So for it not to be there really shakes me a bit."
A Family Forged Over 15 Years
The actress emphasised the deep bonds formed over the programme's 15-year run, describing the cast and crew as a tight-knit unit. "This company has been through so much together that we are a family," Parfitt stated. "It’ll be hard for all of us." Her character, Sister Monica Joan, is a nun who dedicated her life to midwifery and serving the poor of Poplar in East London, finding her true family at Nonnatus House after her biological relatives scandalised her choice to take holy orders.
Parfitt also expressed her personal connection to the role, revealing she had always wanted to play a nun after being educated by them. "I loved Monica Joan’s character," she shared. "The way she was written as quirky and offbeat was a joy; I don’t know what I’ll do without her, actually."
Looking to the Future of Nonnatus House
While the core series takes a breather, fans will not be left entirely without stories from Poplar. The confirmed prequel will explore the earlier days of Nonnatus House during the Second World War. Furthermore, the recent Christmas special, which aired on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, expanded the show's scope with a storyline set in the order's branch house in Hong Kong.
In that special, Sister Monica Joan remained in London to help keep services running, and the character is set to return for the new episodes launching this month. The forthcoming series will continue to tackle significant social and medical issues, delving into the impact of the Women's Liberation movement, premature births, and cancer diagnoses as it progresses through the 1970s.
For now, Judy Parfitt and the legion of Call the Midwife fans must adjust to the temporary absence of a beloved television ritual, as one of the BBC's most enduring dramas takes a well-earned pause.
