Helen George, the actress famed for playing Trixie Aylward in the beloved BBC drama Call the Midwife, has issued a stark warning that feminism and women's rights are under severe threat in modern Britain.
A Warning from Poplar: From Bra Burning to Modern Fears
As the show prepares to return for its fifteenth series on Sunday, January 11, its plot will mirror historical struggles. Set in 1971, the new episodes will see the nurses of Nonnatus House engage with the Women's Liberation movement, famously burning their bras in protest.
Yet for George, the drama's historical fight for equality feels urgently contemporary. She expressed deep concern that the current climate, marked by a surge in nationalist sentiment, the prominence of Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, and the widespread influence of controversial figure Andrew Tate, is encouraging a dangerous "anti-feminist mood."
The Spectre of Gilead and 'Sleepwalking' into Regression
George, 41, articulated a fear that this rise in what she termed "toxic masculinity" could push the country towards a reality resembling the fictional dystopia of The Handmaid's Tale. In Margaret Atwood's novel and its television adaptation, women are stripped of all autonomy in a patriarchal society.
"We're seeing the patriarchy get stronger and stronger, and I find that really terrifying," George stated. "I feel like we're being hoodwinked into it... I feel like we could turn around in a few years time and it's The Handmaid's Tale."
She warned that society is "sleepwalking" towards this scenario, pointing to debates around reproductive rights. "The anti abortion laws and things. I feel like they will probably be debated in Parliament, especially if Nigel Farage has his way," she added.
Abortion Rights: A Historical and Ongoing Battle
The actress highlighted that one of the show's most contentious topics remains critically relevant. While abortion was legalised in the UK in 1967, a storyline the drama has covered, George noted the backward steps taken elsewhere.
"It is insane that now it's illegal in some states in America," she said, referencing the overturning of Roe v. Wade. "We've seen the backstreet abortions, the slaughters that happen because of that... if you don't allow it, it's going to do more harm. People will die."
A Pause for Poplar and a Look to the Future
This upcoming series will be the last for the main cast for a while, as Call the Midwife takes a scheduled break from television. In 2026, a prequel series set during the Blitz will air, focusing on the younger years of the nuns.
The core cast, including George, Jenny Agutter, and Judy Parfitt, will instead focus on filming a movie version of the hit BBC show later in 2026. George believes the pause is beneficial, stating it allows for a "fresh breath of air" into the long-running series.
The actress, who shares two daughters with her former co-star Jack Ashton and is now dating businessman Dan Innes, frames her fears not just as a performer, but as a woman and a mother, watching what she sees as a deeply concerning cultural shift.
