Jessica Raine returns to our screens this week as young midwife Jenny Lee in a new series of the acclaimed BBC1 period drama Call the Midwife. TV&Satellite Week magazine caught up with her to find out more about the new special deliveries we can look forward to... How has Jenny changed? “She has grown in confidence and has found her feet more in Nonnatus House. She is more comfortable about delivering babies now as well, but she still comes up against some really shocking social problems in the community which make her feel quite frustrated at how much she can help and she gets angrier at the unfairness.” What is in store for her this time? “There are big challenges ahead. She gets seconded to a hospital because they are short of staff, but the hierarchy there is terrifying and quite military compared to the cosiness of Nonnatus House so she gets told off a lot. There is also a case of a spina bifida baby which Jenny doesn’t deal with very well. I love that because she is not perfect.” Is there any romance for her? “She does develop in her love life. Lovely Jimmy comes back and someone new turns up as well, but that is all I can say. I think she needs a man. With her it is all about opening herself up very slowly to someone. She is doing that with the girls and the nuns, and is more relaxed in her own skin, so I guess it is just a matter of time.” Have you been recognised a lot since starring in the show? “Yes. It is strange because nothing can prepare you for it, it happens overnight. On a train on a Monday after it had been out, people would peep through the seats at me. Everyone said they were bereft when it finished and it’s lovely that a lot of men and people my age have come up to me about it. I assume its audience and I am wrong. It appeals to a broad spectrum, which I never thought it would. The issues it tackles are universal. Everyone has babies and lives and dies.” Is there any pressure this time around after the success of the first series? “I guess there is a certain amount of pressure, but I don’t really think about it. As soon as I read the new scripts I knew we were totally on track. I didn’t want it to become a second series where everyone was saying, ‘We’re in a hit show’. It has been life-changing, but I don’t feel like I’ve changed. I feel terribly proud of it and excited about the future, but I am aware that I just need to keep my eye on the present.” The show has gone down a storm in America, too. Have you been over there? “Yes, we went over there for the launch of the first series there last summer and it was amazing. I had never been to LA before and it was a real treat. They are just so welcoming and really up for the Brits at the moment. Everyone is just so positive and upbeat. They are gagging for more of the show, so it is really exciting.” What else have you got coming up? “I filmed an episode of Doctor Who in Cardiff just before I started on the second series of Midwife. It was completely mental and really different.” The new series of Call the Midwife begins on BBC1 on Sunday, January 20 at 8pm
