‘Call the Midwife’: 3 Big Moments From the Christmas Special Set the Stage for Season 12

Another Call the Midwife Christmas special has come and gone on PBS. The 2022 feature-length episode of the heartwarming British drama featured the usual mix of festive cheer and tear-inducing moments. It also included a couple of major developments that set the stage for Call the Midwife Season 12. 

[Warning: This article contains spoilers for the 2022 Call the Midwife Christmas special.]

Trixie got engaged in the ‘Call the Midwife’ Christmas special 

There’s nothing like romance at Christmas, and this year’s Call the Midwife holiday episode delivered plenty of it. It would be tough to top Cyril (Zephryn Taitte) and Lucille’s (Leonie Elliott) Christmas wedding last year, but Matthew Aylward’s (Olly Rix) Thames-side proposal to Nurse Trixie Franklin (Helen George, back from maternity leave) certainly delivered all the feels. 

Matthew was adorably nervous leading up to the big moment, first as he enlisted Nurse Nancy Corrigan (Megan Cusack) to help suss out Trixie’s ring size, and then as he fretted over whether he’s purchased the right ring for the famously finicky midwife. There were also a couple of nods to how far both Trixie and Matthew have come since we first met them. Matthew had a touching moment with his son where he reflects on the loss of his late wife, who died shortly after giving birth to their only child. Meanwhile, Trixie’s storyline in this episode saw her helping a struggling father admit that he had a drinking problem, which gave the character a chance to reflect on her own alcohol addiction, which she has worked hard to overcome. 

Now that Trixie and Matthew and officially engaged, chances are we can look forward to the pair walking down the aisle sometime in Call the Midwife Season 12. And knowing Trixie, it’s going to be a very stylish wedding. 

Two actors appear to be leaving the ‘Call the Midwife’ cast 

In addition to Trixie’s engagement, there were a couple of other big moments in the Call the Midwife Christmas special, each involving one of Nonnatus House’s beloved nuns. The first came early in the episode, when we got some bad news about Sister Hilda (Fenella Woolgar).

“So, Sister Hilda isn’t coming back at all?” Sister Frances (Ella Bruccoleri) asks Sister Julienne (Jenny Agutter).

“You heard Mother Mildred,” Sister Julienne replies. “She’s of the view that we can do very well without her.”

Unsurprisingly, Sister Frances immediately volunteers to take on some of the missing sister’s responsibilities. But between preparing for the holidays and handling her midwife duties, she’s stretched thin. Just how thin becomes apparent when she’s involved in a bicycle accident while on her way to help a patient. The crash lands her in the hospital with multiple broken bones, and she’s dispatched to the countryside to rest and recuperate. 

So, does that mean we’ve seen the last of both Sister Hilda and Sister Frances? It sounds like that’s the case. A Call the Midwife insider told Express that both Woolgar and Bruccoleri had left the show, at least for now. 

“Ella and Fenella are off doing other things now – but that doesn’t mean they won’t come back again at some point. They’ll both be missed,” the source said. 

When does ‘Call the Midwife’ Season 12 premiere?

Though both Sister Hilda and Sister Frances will likely be missing when Call the Midwife returns for season 12, a new face will be joining the cast.

In the Christmas special, Sister Julienne explained that Mother Mildred will be sending a new nun to replace Sister Hilda. That new nun is reportedly Sister Veronica, played by Rebecca Gethings. And it sounds like she’s going to shake things up at Nonnatus House. 

“She puts her foot in it a lot and she ruffles feathers,” Gethings told Radio Times. “But she always does it for good. But she’s not shy and retiring. She doesn’t wait to be invited in. She just kind of bustles in and gets going because in terms of her ministry, she’s not worth anything unless she’s making a change.”

Fans will get the chance to see how Sister Veronica fits in, as well as what the rest of the midwives and nuns are up to, when Call the Midwife returns for its 12th season in 2023. New episodes begin airing on Sunday, March 19, at 8 p.m. ET. PBS Passport members will be able to stream new episodes 30 days ahead of their initial broadcast date. 

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