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Call the Midwife star addresses big changes as nuns adapt to evolving times in next season and movie

Jenny Agutter, who plays Sister Julienne, sheds some light on what's ahead for the Nonnatus House favourites.

Sister Julienne (JENNY AGUTTER), wearing her habit, holding the bible, looking concerned

Neal Street Productions/Olly Courtney

Published: Tuesday, 20 May 2025 at 2:35 pm

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Call the Midwife fans have been busy speculating what's next for the beloved BBC series and the Nonnatus nuns.

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Jenny Agutter, who plays Sister Julienne, has discussed some of the big changes on the way as the nuns navigate evolving times in the next season and the new film.

It was confirmed earlier this month that there is plenty still to come from the Poplar favourites. Filming is under way for this year's two-part Christmas special and season 15, which is expected in 2026.

Meanwhile, there are also plans for a movie featuring characters from the TV show and a prequel series taking place during World War II – all with creator Heidi Thomas and executive producers Pippa Harris and Ann Tricklebank still at the helm.

Season 14 saw Sister Julienne discover that the order as a whole, and not just her chapter, had financial problems as they faced the challenge of trying to find their place in an evolving world – a theme that is likely to be explored in the new episodes and movie.

Speaking about Sister Julienne's future, Agutter told TellyVisions: "There’s nothing that’s going to come between her faith and her desire to serve the community. It just becomes, what community are they going to serve? At the end, they talk about going abroad and being part of a mission group, not in the UK."

Jenny Agutter as Sister Julienne and Fenella Woolgar as Sister Hilda sat at a table across from one another, eating pears

Jenny Agutter as Sister Julienne and Fenella Woolgar as Sister Hilda. Neal Street Productions/Olly Courtney

We know that the nuns will head abroad to Hong Kong as part of the two-part Call the Midwife Christmas special in addition to the movie being set overseas, but while Agutter embraces that change, she isn't looking for Sister Julienne to make a permanent move.

Quizzed on whether she'd like to see some of the nuns spend more time away from Poplar, Agutter added: "I don’t want to spend too much time abroad, but I love travelling. It would be fun to be going somewhere. The order [historically] ended up in the country and continued in a different way.

"So maybe some travel, a mission, or something completely different. It is quite a commitment to be away for a while, but it would be fun."

Alongside Agutter, the returning cast for season 15 has been confirmed to include Judy Parfitt, Laura Main, Helen George, Cliff Parisi, Stephen McGann, Linda Bassett, Annabelle Apsion, Georgie Glen, Zephryn Taitte, Rebecca Gethings, Daniel Laurie, Renee Bailey, Natalie Quarry, Molly Vevers, Max Macmillan, Alice Brown, April Rae Hoang and Edward Shaw.

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Call the Midwife seasons 1-14 are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

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Black and white cut-out portrait headshot of Ned Holmes, smiling against a lime green background.

Ned Holmes

Ned is a sports writer at RadioTimes.com. He has covered a host of sports from EFL football, international cricket and golf all the way through to bike polo and triathlon.

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