Call the Midwife has shared the first on-set photo of Helen George’s Nurse Trixie, who is officially returning to the BBC/PBS medical drama for the upcoming holiday special and Season 12.
George’s return was first announced by the official Call the Midwife social media channels last month as filming began on the 12th season. The Grammy-nominated actress left midway through Season 11 as she welcomed the arrival of her second child.
“While Helen has been away, she’s had a little ‘midwife calling’ of her own to do, as she is now the proud mother of two!” a statement from the Call the Midwife Facebook page read. “Her gorgeous new daughter, Lark, was born late last year, and Helen is now ready to get back into the saddle of her bicycle to minister to the women of Poplar once more! We are thrilled to have her back and just can’t wait to show you the next developments in Trixie’s journey.”
In a behind-the-scenes photo from the upcoming Christmas special, George’s Trixie is seen in an elegant dress, having her hair made up by a stylist. Many fans are hoping this is in preparation for a wedding between Trixie and Matthew Aylward (Olly Rix), who had started dating in Season 11 before Trixie left to care for her dying godmother in Italy.
oh please let it be a wedding for Trixie and Matthew
— Jane Ireland (@JaneElizIreland) May 12, 2022
For her wedding?
— Raquelquefois (@raquelquefois) May 12, 2022
Another behind-the-scenes image shows Stephen McGann’s Dr. Patrick Turner holding a newborn baby. The previous season had seen COVID-19 protocols restricting the cast from having close contact with infant actors; those restrictions have now been lifted.
Behind the scenes on the new #CallTheMidwife Christmas Special: Dr Turner, actor @StephenMcGann gets back to the important job of newborn baby holding! ️️️https://t.co/hg929Eoglz pic.twitter.com/eF5jbmjbMq
— Call the Midwife (@CallTheMidwife1) May 15, 2022
“During the pandemic, there have rightly been tough restrictions placed on close contact with our infants, for fear of virus spread. One of the consequences of this was that our cast couldn’t work directly with the newborn babies,” the show wrote on Facebook. “This was a real challenge for a birth drama like ours, but one we faced, like others, as a medical necessity.”
The statement continued: “So when we finally had our first birth scene to film in this episode, Stephen took the opportunity to meet his first young star in two years – and our Director of Photography Toby Moore sneaked this shot of that moment.”
Call the Midwife Holiday Special, Christmas Day, 2022, PBS
Call the Midwife, Season 12, 2023, PBS
