By James Robert Shaw (The Wind up Geek)
Spring is barely out the door and people are already dreaming of another Call the Midwife Christmas Special. And why shouldn’t they when Camilla “Chummy” Fortescue-Cholmeley-Browne (Miranda Hart) will make her appearance in the special. Hart left Call the Midwife in Series 4 due to work commitments. Hart toured a one-woman comedy show and co-starred in the 2015 feature film Spy with Melissa McCarthy and Jason Statham. Hart will return to Call the Midwife as part of the regular cast in Series 6. This Christmas special will take a leave of absence from Poplar as our nurses from Nonnatus House find themselves caring for others in the midst of South Africa’s social upheaval of 1961:
The Christmas Special will see Call the Midwife transported to the Eastern Cape. Nonnatus House receives an SOS from a tiny mission hospital. Understaffed, underfunded, and with a poor water supply, struggling Hope Clinic is faced with closure. Can our much-loved medics and midwives make a difference to the people whose lives depend upon its work? Far from home and everything familiar, the team are both shaken and exhilarated by the challenges they face – and by the time the mission trip is over, some lives are permanently changed.
Filming is currently taking place in Cape Town. Additional cast members Laura Main, Jack Ashton, and Cliff Parisi have also been filming on location. According to the Call the Midwife official Facebook page, Sinéad Cusack (Sylvie Gibson from TV’s Marcella) will guest star as “Dr Myra Fitzsimmons – a tough but brilliant doctor who runs the threatened clinic.”
Once filming has wrapped in South Africa, production will return to the UK for the 8 episodes of Series 6.
It is now 1962, and the Nonnatus House team are as committed to caring for the people of Poplar as always. However, the social revolution in the outside world is mirrored by change and challenge much closer to home. As they strive to help mothers and families cope with the demands of childbearing, disability, disease and social prejudice, our beloved medics must make choices – and fight battles – of their own.
Creator, Writer, and Executive Producer Heidi Thomas drops a few hints at what to expect from the upcoming series, “As the team settle back into Poplar after their South African adventure, we‘ll see them grappling with all the contradictions and opportunities of the early Sixties – the beacon of the Pill, the shadow of the Kray twins, the lure of independence and the call to duty.”
Could harm come to Nonnatus House from organized crime or will they be dealing with its end results? One will need to watch Series 6 to find out.
Call the Midwife Christmas Special will air worldwide over the holiday of 2016. Series 6 will begin airing in early 2017.
Source(s): Stephen McGann, Call the Midwife Facebook page, Call the Midwife Twitter, and BBC News.
