The cast of BBC1’s unexpected hit Call the Midwife are celebrating a decade of dramatic births by revealing what they themselves looked like as fresh-faced youngsters.
Our pics show how stars such as Jenny Agutter, Stephen McGann, Linda Bassett, Cliff Parisi and Judy Parfitt have changed.
The drama, originally based on the books of former midwife Jennifer Worth, is still one of the BBC’s best-loved shows.
The last series, which aired from January 2020, was the UK’s fourth biggest drama and last Sunday the tenth run opened with a three-year high of 7.3million viewers.
Not bad for a show they thought wouldn’t get past its first run.
Writer and co-creator Heidi Thomas says: “People always ask me where all these stories come from, and I always say the same thing, ‘They come from the lives of women, and the working class’.
“I find endless inspiration in the simple power of ordinary lives.”
Executive producer Pippa Harris says the show, which began shooting its 11th series on Monday, has earned the right to be called ground-breaking by tackling a wealth of taboo subjects.
She says: “We’ve made a point of shining a light into some of the darkest recesses of recent medical history: the terrible legacy of thalidomide, the impact of illegal abortions, the treatment of gay people at a time when homosexuality was still illegal...”
Agutter, head nun Sister Julienne since the first episode in 2012, says: “When I read the first ever script, I remember thinking, ‘Goodness me’.
“I kept looking at the date, and it was 1958 going into 59, but the way they were handling everything seemed Victorian.”
Laura Main feels lucky to have shown the changes in her character Shelagh Turner’s life.
She said: “She’s gone from being a nun to being married with four children. She’s had a biological child that she didn’t think she could have and she’s a step-mum and a foster parent.
“It’s quite a contrast from the unassuming, quiet, quite shy nun she was.”
BBC bosses have already ordered two more series, meaning the show will stay on air until at least 2024, by then set at the end of the swinging Sixties.
Cliff Parisi, who plays much-loved handyman Fred, says: “We are like a family. We’ve had some fabulous actors pass through this show but we’ve got a fantastic cast right now... this is probably the best series ever.”
Call the Midwife has aired in more than 45 countries and sparked a surge in applications for university midwifery courses with its launch.
Heidi Thomas is also proud that 73% of Call the Midwife episodes are by female writers, compared to just 14% of prime-time drama overall.
She adds: “Call the Midwife has been a bit like raising an unruly child at times. But it is also funny and beautiful and full of surprises.
“It has been worth every groan, every push, every gulp of gas and air – quite simply, a labour of love.”
Daniel Laurie - Reggie
Fenella Woolgar - Sister Hilda
Jenny Agutter - Sister Julienne
Cliff Parisi - Fred Buckle
Annabelle Apsion - Violet Buckle
Georgie Glen - Miss Higgins
Judy Parfitt - Sister Monica Joan
Zephryn Taitte - Cyril Robinson
Stephen McGann - Dr Turner
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