Midwife star Helen 'could deliver babies' for real

Helen George reckons her role in Call The Midwife has given her the skills to deliver a baby for real.

The star of the hit BBC One series told The Sun she'd be confident helping women in real life labour.

She said: "I totally think I could deliver a baby. I haven't tried it for real yet, but I really want to give it a go - so anyone who is willing to let me try, please let me know.

"I'd be like, 'It's all right, the midwife is here'. I want to try it just to say I've done it for real."

Helen, who plays Nurse Trixie Franklin in the drama, said she's already been putting her skills into practice.

"You can tell how old a baby is by the size of the bump so with my pregnant friends I try and have a prod around," she said. "But I am used to prosthetic bumps on set so it's slightly different in real life."

Helen says Call the Midwife has made her 'really scared' about the prospect of giving birth, adding: "I would never give birth 1950s style - give me the gas and air and epidural, thank you very much!"

The actress is surprised by Call The Midwife's popularity with kids and has had fan mail from unlikely viewers.

She said: "Lots of children seem to watch the show, which always surprises me as it's like a form of sex education for kids. But the sex is done very politely and nothing is shown. It's very tasteful - I get a lot of letters from 10-year-old boys."

Patrick McLennan

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix. 


An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.