Social issues continue to challenge the Poplar nurses and Trixie spots a family in need of extra care as Call the Midwife continues
Social issues continue to challenge the Poplar nurses and Trixie spots a family in need of extra care as Call the Midwife continues
Leonie Elliott is on compelling form as Lucille goes above and beyond to help reclusive pensioner Clarice Milgrove (a heart-rending performance from One Foot in the Grave’s Annette Crosbie).
Although Clarice is fiercely independent, it soon emerges that she is a hoarder and is finding it hard to cope at home…
Meanwhile, Trixie (Helen George) and Sister Hilda help pregnant Flora Aidoo (Jessica Kennedy), who’s suffering from anaemia and has newly arrived from Ghana.
But as further concerns come to light following the birth, can they pinpoint what might be blighting Flora and her family?
Elsewhere, political fever runs through Poplar as Vi stands for election to the local council.
TV Times rating: *****
Helen George, 34, tells TV Times why she’s thrilled at Trixie’s career development and how becoming a mother has helped her on the set of Call the Midwife…
Trixie helps to diagnose what’s wrong with the Aidoos. Are you enjoying seeing her experience come to the fore?
Yes, she’s delving deeper into the medical profession. Trixie takes a more serious role this series. She’s studying and bettering herself. It’s exciting watching her come up through the ranks and hopefully going further in her career at a time when women weren’t pushed. You see that juxtaposition of the fun, bubbly blonde from the first series and how far she’s come academically.
Do you have much of a say in how Trixie’s character develops?
You have thoughts about what your character could do and I meet the producers each series and they tell me what’s planned. I normally say, ‘Brilliant!’ because it’s always a great idea. Sometimes there are nice surprises and you think, ‘Wow, I didn’t know that was going to happen.’
I like the way it’s going for Trixie at the moment. I want her to become a doctor. Whether that will happen, I don’t know. But it’s nice for her to evolve and, as she gets more mature, not just become a wife or a girlfriend.
You took a break last series to welcome your baby daughter Wren, who was born in September 2017. How does it feel to be back?
It was strange having some episodes off and I really missed everybody, so it’s nice to come back. It was weird though, knowing that Charlotte [Ritchie, who left last series as tragic nurse Barbara Hereward] and Jack [Helen’s real-life partner Jack Ashton, who played vicar Tom Hereward and also left the show last year] wouldn’t be here.
Jack has done a play since and is busy at home with the baby. We chat about the show but I don’t like rehearsing and line-learning with him. It’s weird now he’s off the show!
