Call the Midwife will be back with a festive edition this December, and the 2023 Christmas special will prove an “awkward” time for newlyweds Trixie and Matthew.
The Christmas Day visit to Nonnatus is a tradition every year, and 2023 will be no exception. And, as usual, there’ll be heartbreak and joy in the special episode.
Here’s everything you need to know about Call the Midwife Christmas special 2023, but don’t expect any Scrooge-like spoilers from us! This is a teaser of what’s to come, and spoiler free.
What happens in the Call the Midwife Christmas special 2023?
Call The Midwife’s 2023 Christmas special on BBC One begins two weeks before Christmas, with Apollo 8 poised to circle the moon.
Sister Monica Joan (Judy Parfitt) is convinced this could be her final Yuletide, and decides she’ll not live to see man walk on the moon. But this is badass Joan we’re talking about, and surely they wouldn’t kill off a fan-favourite at Christmas!?
Luckily, the Nonnatus Family, including Trixie’s brother Geoffrey, decide to come together to help. They decide something must be done to try and lighten Joan’s state of mind.
Nancy (Megan Cusack) has vowed to stay at Nonnatus House, and Sister Julienne (Jenny Agutter) has offered her and Colette (Francesca Fullilove) a room for the foreseeable future. Viewers know that this comes after Nancy was offered a job elsewhere at the end of series 12.
Meanwhile, Trixie and Matthew return glowing from their honeymoon. They prepare for their first Christmas together as husband and wife. However, Geoffrey pays them an unexpected visit days before Christmas…
Cyril (Zephryn Taitte) gently intervenes when he discovers a lost soul living alone in a dilapidated basement flat. For this man, Christmas is a reminder of all he’s lost and all he’s never had. And Nurse Crane (Linda Bassett) makes it home from her refresher course in time for the Christmas festivities despite a treacherously heavy snowfall…
Christmas is ‘awkward’ for Trixie and Matthew
Speaking at a press launch for the upcoming Call the Midwife Christmas special 2023, actress Helen George discussed what’s next for her character Trixie.
Of course, series 12 ended with Trixie and Matthew tying the knot in an emotional finale. Helen said of the newlyweds: “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?”
Olly Rix continued: “And despite what they might want it to be, they don’t get the choice. They have this house guest [Trixie’s brother Geoffrey], and they have all these obligations at Nonnatus House. He’s just sort of screaming inside.”
Of course, this teases an unhappy ending for the pair. ED! reported earlier this year that Olly Rix’s character Matthew has been written out of the show.
The news follows reports that Olly had split from his partner of seven years, Natasha Fagri. A week earlier, Olly’s co-star Helen told the Mirror she had split from her partner and Call The Midwife co-star Jack Ashton. Rumours continue to swirl that Olly and Helen are together in real life.
When does Call the Midwife series 13 start?
After the much-anticipated Christmas special, Call the Midwife series 13 will start in January 2024.
Confirming the series would return for another run, creator, writer and executive producer Heidi Thomas said: “It’s an incredible privilege to be able to look back on a decade of Call The Midwife, and yet know that our journey is still very far from over.
“We are thrilled to be going on for a few more years. Like Nonnatus House itself, we have a proud past but an even more exciting future – full of old favourites, fresh faces, higher hemlines, new ideas. The stories we tell are like babies – they never stop coming, we love them all, and we vow to do our best by every single one.”
Viewers can expect series 13 to be 8 episodes. The show will be set in the 1970s. This brings new medical advances, changes within the societal makeup of the UK, shifts within politics, developments in fashion and music, and plenty of challenges for the midwives.
The Call the Midwife Christmas special airs on Christmas Day 2023 on BBC One.
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