❚ We may earn commission from links on this page. Our editorial is always independent (learn more).

Call the Midwife's Jenny Agutter teases death and destruction in "disturbing" Christmas special

It's anything but a silent night in this year's festive double bill.

Rebecca Gethings as Sister Veronica, Linda Bassett as Nurse Crane, Fenella Woolgar as Sister Hilda and Jenny Agutter as Sister Julienne, crowding around a table with a newspaper on it, and boxes in the background of the room.

BBC/Neal Street Productions/Charmaine Man

Published: Wednesday, 26 November 2025 at 7:00 pm

Subscribe to Radio Times: 10 weeks for £10, including the Christmas double issue

It's Christmas in Poplar, but the festivities are put on hold for several Call the Midwife favourites when disaster strikes.

Ad

In the festive special, the mother house in Hong Kong – filmed on location – collapses, leaving multiple casualties, including several children. But with few hands and limited supplies to manage the fallout, Nonnatus House steps in to help.

"We discover the ground underneath the mission has made it collapse," explained Jenny Agutter, who plays Sister Julienne. "It's just sunk away. Some people have died, the whole place is destroyed, and the orphans and mothers have nowhere to go.

"So, they get a small party together to go out to Hong Kong to see what they can do to help, try and find new premises and take care of things."

Also joining them is Sister Hilda (Fenella Woolgar), "and that’s lovely," said Agutter. "Although it's difficult under the circumstances, there's an excitement in being able to make a difference – and an energy that comes from working in a place where people really need you."

"That stays with Sister Julienne. So, when she returns to the UK, it's what she's kind of hankering for."

Sister Hilda and Sister Julienne sitting at a table and comforting a distraught Mrs Ma.

Fenella Woolgar as Sister Hilda, Patra Au as Mrs Ma and Jenny Agutter as Sister Julienne in the Call the Midwife Christmas special. BBC/Neal Street Productions /Charmaine Man

She went on to say that the theme of the special, which will have two parts for the second year in a row, is "unsteady ground".

"Everything is about people being displaced in some way and the changes bringing something new and fresh," she said. "But in other ways, it's very disturbing."

Also accompanying Sister Julienne and the others to Hong Kong is Sister Veronica, for whom the trip stirs up complicated emotions.

"She and Nurse Crane find a newborn baby who's been left in a cardboard box, literally hours after being born," said Rebecca Gethings. "It's all looking quite bleak, but then the mother comes to collect the baby, so that's a really lovely moment, but tough for Sister Veronica.

"She has bonded with this baby. She's got these mixed feelings of delight that this baby's going to be okay and reunited with his mother, but also this illogical wanting of the baby herself."

Rebecca Gethings as Sister Veronica, holding a baby and looking down at something on a table.

Rebecca Gethings as Sister Veronica in the Call the Midwife Christmas special. BBC/Neal Street Productions /Charmaine Man

Gethings said that even though having a baby was "not on the table" for Sister Veronica, as a nun, she's still "feeling the end of an opportunity to become a mother".

"It's a physiological pull that she's going through, as she's always in close quarters with babies," she added. "It's a story that will continue throughout the series. You'll see that need grow in her."

Read more:

But it's not just the Hong Kong crew who are put through their paces – the instability Agutter spoke of is also felt back in Poplar.

"They're dealing with a family who are completely displaced," she explained. "They are travellers who have no home, and who are having a child."

Molly Vevers, who plays Nonnatus House's newest addition Sister Catherine, expanded on that storyline.

"She gets involved in a case with two mums-to-be who are Irish travellers and living in a camp there," she said. "As the story unfolds, there's a lovely character called Queenie, who has a heartbreaking back story.

"And Sister Catherine is pivotal in supporting her and helping her process the grief she's been through. It's a really heart-rending story but woven in with all the Christmas magic of the rest of the episode."

Want to see this content?

This page contains content provided by Google reCAPTCHA. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as Google reCAPTCHA may use cookies and other technologies. To view this content, choose 'Accept and continue' to allow Google reCAPTCHA and its required purposes.

Accept and continue

Call the Midwife airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Add Call the Midwife to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more.

Ad

Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.

Authors

A head and shoulders shot of Abby Robinson. She is in front of a grey background, looking at the camera and smiling. She wears a black zipped-up jacket with an elaborate gold and maroon design

Abby RobinsonDrama Editor

Abby Robinson is the Drama Editor for Radio Times, covering TV drama and comedy titles. She previously worked at Digital Spy as a TV writer, and as a content writer at Mumsnet. She possesses a postgraduate diploma and a degree in English Studies.

Ad

Ad

Get the Christmas double issue

Too much to watch at Christmas? Let Radio Times do the choosing to find something the whole family will enjoy.

Subscribe by 3 Dec

Loading...

Ad

Loading...