Hot off the back of the Christmas special, Call the Midwife is back for season 13 with two new cast members.
Student midwives Joyce Highland (Renee Bailey) and Rosalind Clifford (Natalie Quarry) are starting at Nonnatus House in 2024. They’re part of a new midwife-training scheme, joining the regular cast that includes Helen George, Jenny Agutter and Laura Main.
The hit BBC One drama is heading into 1969, the brink of a new decade of medical advancements and political shifts. Poplar’s residents are struggling with poor housing, health and social concerns. Just how will this affect the nuns? We’ll find out on Sunday, January 7 at 8pm.
This is everything we know so far about new midwives Joyce Highland and Rosalind Clifford, and the actors who portray them.
Who is new midwife Joyce Highland?
Trinidadian Joyce Highland is a new pupil midwife with big ambitions: she wants to become Matron of a British hospital.
Described as “hardworking, fiercely bright, and deeply kind”, she’ll no doubt be an asset in Poplar.
There’s just one problem, however. She has a traumatic past, which could come back to bite her in London.
She shares a room with fellow student midwife Rosalind Clifford.
Who is Renee Bailey who plays Joyce Highland in Call the Midwife?
British actress Renee Bailey’s biggest role to date was as series regular Leila in Rebel Cheer Squad – A Get Even Series (2022). The BBC/Netflix teen series, a spin-off of 2020’s Get Even, told the story of three cheerleaders who form an anti-bullying club. Renee starred in all eight episodes as Leila Harris, a victim of a drugging incident.
Also in 2022, Renee guest-starred in BBC Three musical series Mood. The series won a BAFTA Television Award as well as a BAFTA Craft Award in 2023.
Mood’s not the only BAFTA-winning production that Renee’s been a part of, either. She also appeared in miniseries How to Be a Person (2022), which won best Short Form Programme in 2023.
Renee’s theatre work includes Bible John at the 2020 Vaults Festival in Waterloo, Unknown Rivers at Hampstead Theatre (2019) and (This Isn’t) A True Story (2020) at the Almeida Theatre in Islington.
Most recently, Renee’s starred in short film A Radical Duet (2023). Her other short films include Breathe (2021), Sensational Simmy (2019) and The Best is Yet To Come (2019).
She’s also appeared in adverts for Pinterest (2023), Graze (2021) and Dominos (2020).
Renee is also set to appear in upcoming Channel 4/HBO drama Get Millie Black. The series is about a detective who joins the Jamaican police force after being made to leave Scotland Yard.
Who is new midwife Rosalind Clifford?
The somewhat naive student midwife Rosalind Clifford is excited to see what life at Nonnatus House is all about.
She’s described as “young, warm, passionate and funny”, though that’s not to say she isn’t bold.
Rosalind will have some major decisions to make in her new job, but she’s got the strength of character to pull through.
She shares a room with fellow pupil midwife Joyce Highland.
Who is actress Natalie Quarry who plays Rosalind Clifford in Call the Midwife?
Much like Rosalind is an up-and-coming midwife, Natalie is an up-and-coming actress. She’s played roles in TV shows including the BBC’s Doctors (2021) and Disney+ drama Atlanta (2022).
In theatre, Natalie’s starred in Amphibian (2021) at the King’s Head Theatre in Islington.
Most recently, she starred in the short film The Secret Canary (2022). She played the rebellious youngster Kat. Natalie was nominated for Best Supporting Actress of the Year from the Independent Shorts Awards in 2023.
Her other short film credits include Late Night (2022), Pauline (2022) and I Love U, Rob (2022).
She will also appear in the upcoming AppleTV+ historical drama Blitz, written and directed by Steve McQueen. The film stars Saoirse Ronan and Stephen Graham.
Call the Midwife season 13 premieres on BBC One on Sunday, 7th January at 8pm.
Read more: Call The Midwife cast ‘stunned and upset’ as key character ‘written out’
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