Trixie holds Jonty
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Call the Midwife Christmas special: First look as nuns and nurses of Nonnatus House threatened by ‘dangerous snow’

Will Nonnatus House faves all make it to Boxing Day?

The 2023 Call the Midwife Christmas special is one of the most anticipated programmes in the festive TV schedules. No doubt it will be circled in the telly guides as an essential Christmas Day watch in the homes of many ED! readers.

Ahead of the seasonal episodes, the BBC has released pics giving Call the Midwife fans a first look at how the nuns and nurses of Nonnatus House will be celebrating together.

But reports suggest “dangerous” conditions will pose a threat to Poplar’s beloved characters. Could one of Call the Midwife’s faves be in peril when the weather outside is frightful?

Call the Midwife Christmas special cast sit around a table
Pass the spuds please, Fred (Credit: Neal Street Productions, Andrea Southam)

Call the Midwife Christmas special: Trixie’s first as a married woman

Among the preview images are pics of Trixie and Matthew spending their first Christmas as husband and wife.

Added to that pressure, they also have a house guest staying with them.

Actress Helen George has teased: “It’s their first Christmas together as a married couple, so it’s one of those awkward years when they’re trying to work out what they’re going to do.

“And Trixie doesn’t really have any family apart from Nonnatus House, and of course he’s a Chelsea boy, so does he really want to spend Christmas in Poplar?”

Matthew helps decorate a tree
Matthew helps decorate a tree (Credit: Neal Street Productions, Andrea Southam)

Will Sister Monica Joan die?

Elsewhere, Sister Monica Joan has become convinced she may not see any more Christmases.

With “dangerous snow” set to feature, could she end up predicting correctly, even as the other residents of Nonnatus House do all they can to help lift her mood?

An Instagram account linked to the BBC drama recently shared a behind-the-scenes snap from during production.

This year’s festive ep was filmed in late spring and early summer. The Insta post’s caption makes it clear that weather is “an important factor in this year’s story”.

This led to challenges as the set had to match the plot, “no matter how warm and sunny the weather might have been on on the day”.

‘We don’t just have snow this year’

Furthermore, Dr Patrick Turner actor Stephen McGann has indicated the weather conditions could “really affect” characters.

He’s said: ‘There’s a big sequence… in the cold. I remember turning up in Chatham in Kent where we filmed some of the big ambulance sequences. And it’s that weird thing where you’re walking along the road in the sunshine and then you turn the corner and it was literally January. And the atmosphere, there was a lot of dry ice, it seemed psychologically freezing.

It really affects and endangers people, and affects the plot.

“So we don’t just have snow this year, like I always say. It was dangerous snow, high drama where it really affects and endangers people, and affects the plot.”

Standing by a tree
Nancy wants to stay on (Credit: Neal Street Productions, Andrea Southam)

Meanwhile, reports suggest Nancy has decided to commit her future to Nonnatus House, and Cyril discovers a lost soul living alone in a dilapidated basement flat.

Additionally, Nurse Crane – away on her refresher course – faces a battle to return back to Poplar. Will she make it back in time for Christmas?

Sister Monica Joan and Sister Juliene smile
Sister Monica Joan and Sister Juliene will both be on hand for the festive ep (Credit: Neal Street Productions, Andrea Southam)

Read more: Call the Midwife Christmas special 2023: Everything we know so far

The Call the Midwife Christmas special 2023 will be on BBC One on Christmas Day (Monday December 25).

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Robert Leigh
Freelance writer