CHRISTMAS TV Midwives on a
DESPITE having worked through the character’s ups and downs, Victoria Yeates admits watching such scenes back still pulls at the heart strings.
“I really cried (watching) Trixie complete her c-section,” confides the actress, who plays the God-fearing Sister Winifred in the show. “Because I suppose you’re close to each other as people and you feel proud of their characters. I really felt it.”
“We appreciate the way (the script) builds stuff and adds comedy to give relief,” adds Jack Ashton, who takes the role of resident reverend Tom Hereward and is Helen’s rumoured flame in real life.
“It’s really impressive the way that Heidi structures it. You don’t get a sense of that as much when you’re doing it, as you’re playing your storyline, so to watch it, it’s very clever.”
“It was amazing filming in South Africa,” coos Charlotte Ritchie, who plays the endearingly naive midwife Barbara Gilbert. “There was a day when we were stuck on a hot ridge and the (local) crew were going, ‘Ah it’s so hot’ – they’re so sick of it because they live there – and we were like, ‘Wow!”’
“Every time you went out, it was sightseeing,” chimes in Cliff Parisi, aka the show’s handy man Fred Buckle. “You’d get in the car and go somewhere and it would be like, ‘Are we filming here?’ It was incredible. In fact, you didn’t want a day off because you thought you might miss something.”
“I’m just hoping we get a Christmas special in different holiday destinations (each time),” quips Helen, laughing. “A skiing edition, surely? We can all go skiing!” African adventure... Sister Winifred (Victoria Yeates), Sister Julienne (Jenny Agutter), Dr Turner (Stephen McGann), Nurse Trixie Franklin (Helen George), Nurse Phyllis Crane (Linda Bassett), Barbara (Charlotte Ritchie) spending much of their time off – or once filming had wrapped – sightseeing.
Or in some cases, cage diving with Great White Sharks, flying on light aircrafts, paragliding and petting cheetahs within a reserve.
All of which made for a memorable joint experience, claims Helen.
“It was special being out there as a group,” she elaborates. “It was a lovely bonding experience and really nice to work in a country and not just visit on a holiday; to get to know it from the ground up and to meet crew members of varying cultural backgrounds.
“You really experience the politics and state of the country in a totally different way from when you just go and stay in a fancy hotel.” IT WASN’T as much fun for those left behind though, jokes Judy Parfitt – the lady who, in her own words, plays “the demented old nun”.
“We got a lot of pictures on the WhatsApp group of everyone having a knees-up, so we were jealous, but I also kind of felt like I was there,” notes Emerald Fennell, who plays kindly nurse Patsy Mount.
“I forbid everybody to talk about it,” barks Judy. “As soon as they said, ‘South Africa’, I said, ‘Shut up, I don’t want to hear about it... be quiet!”’ BUT the good news is they won’t have long to wait for a reunion as the upcoming series six will see the team back in London and grappling with all the contradictions and opportunities of the early Sixties. “There is so much rich material – medical, social and emotional – to be explored,” explains creator Heidi. “We have now delivered well over 100 babies on screen and, like those babies, the stories keep on coming.” It was also revealed recently that the BBC has commissioned three more series – including three more Christmas specials – of the hit drama. Hurrah!