Call the Midwife found itself caught in real-life chaos while filming this year’s Christmas specials in Hong Kong, after a level 10 typhoon swept through the city.
The double festive instalment follows some of Nonnatus House’s most beloved faces as they travel overseas, responding to devastating news that the Mother House in Hong Kong has collapsed. With countless casualties – from orphaned children to expectant mothers and fellow sisters – the team quickly rallies to offer whatever help they can.
Fred and Violet Buckle are already in the city visiting Violet’s son Derek when disaster strikes. Soon enough, Doctor Turner, Shelagh, Nurse Crane, Sister Julienne and Sister Veronica all touch down, ready to lend their skills in the midst of heartbreak and upheaval.
A typhoon causes chaos
However, Call the Midwife creator Heidi Thomas has revealed that they had their own drama going on behind the scenes. A level 10 typhoon meant the cast and crew were told to stay in their hotel. They also kept the curtains closed in case something blew against the window.
Heidi said: “What was interesting was we weren’t filming that weekend when it happened. On the Friday were were warned there would be a typhoon coming. Strength six at this point. Nobody batted an eyelid as that’s relatively common in Hong Kong.
“But then producer Annie Tricklebank and I were on set and getting phone alerts saying it was up to eight. By the time it got to Friday night, we were told it would be a ten. We had to stay in the hotel with the curtains drawn.”
Annabelle Apsion, who plays Violet Buckle in Call the Midwife, added: “Our hotel was fantastic. It looked over the sea and you could see things going on down in the streets. It was kind of exciting, dare I say. We just stayed indoors and had a lovely dim sum lunch!”
When are the Call the Midwife Christmas episodes on?
The BBC hasn’t announced the Christmas TV schedules yet, but in 2024, Call the Midwife aired on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
The two episodes will split their time between the drama unfolding in Hong Kong and Poplar, where some of the younger midwives stay behind.
In Hong Kong, the team face trying to help the injured with minimal medical supplies. They also find an abandoned baby, fight an outbreak of tuberculosis and get in trouble with a gang of triads.
Meanwhile, back in a snow-dusted Poplar, the drama is just as intense.
One baby arrives in the world inside a freezing caravan, while Trixie and Geoffrey stumble across an elderly man collapsed in the snow. After walking him home, they discover he’s terminally ill and has returned to Poplar to spend his final days there.
As his health declines, Sister Monica Joan pays a moving visit, recalling the day she delivered his sibling decades earlier.
But it’s not all sorrow. The episode promises some wonderfully uplifting beats too – not least when Timothy, Geoffrey and Miss Higgins’ grandson Harry pop up in a way that will have viewers doing a double take. It’s a side of the trio we’ve never seen before, and it brings a much-needed dose of festive cheer to the story.
We are still waiting for a confirmed air date for this year’s Call the Midwife Christmas specials. Last year they aired on Christmas Day and Boxing Day and this year is likely to be the same.
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