Call the Midwife’s Nurse Trixie Franklin will be delighted as a familiar face returns to Poplar this Christmas
Call the Midwife is airing two festive specials this Christmas, and the nuns and nurses of Nonnatus House are welcoming back a familiar face.
The countdown to Christmas is in full swing, and the BBC One drama has delighted fans with sneak peeks of the exciting new episodes, which will air on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
Set in 1971, the episode is expected to kick off with Fred (Cliff Parisi) and Violet Buckle (Annabelle Apsion) leaving Poplar, East London, and travelling to Hong Kong to spend Christmas with her son, Derek (Nicholas Atkinson).
However, tragedy strikes when they learn that the Hong Kong Branch House has collapsed, and there are multiple fatalities.
A rescue mission is hastily organised, and a team from Nonnatus House make emergency plans to head out to Hong Kong to do what they can to help.
Dr Turner (Stephen McGann) and Shelagh (Laura Main) join the rescue team in an attempt to track down Esther Tang (Yennis Cheung), their adopted daughter May’s (April Rae Hoang) biological mother, whom they have not heard from in over a year.
Back in Poplar, Nurse Trixie Franklin (Helen George) will reunite with her beloved brother Geoffrey, played by Christopher Harper.
The character first arrived during series 12 in time for Trixie’s wedding to Matthew Aylward (Olly Rix). He then returned for the 2023 Christmas special before making several appearances in season 13, which aired in 2024, as his sister, Trixie, struggled in her new marriage.
Geoffrey also made an appearance toward the end of series 14, which aired earlier this year.
However, it appears the much-loved character is returning for the Christmas specials as the BBC teases all the new Call the Midwife drama with a series of photos.
Christopher Harper, 48, is pictured in the snaps, meaning his character, Geoffrey Franklin, is returning to the show for all of the festivities.
In one snap, Geoffrey sports a 70s hairstyle as he joins the ladies of Nonnatus House for tea. In another photo, he is pictured beside his sister Trixie; however, it remains unclear what brings Geoffrey back to Poplar, and what is the latest between Trixie and Matthew?
Who was Christopher Harper in Corrie?
In 2016, Christopher arrived in Weatherfield as villain Nathan Curtis, who groomed and raped Bethany Platt (Lucy Fallon) as part of a child grooming gang, before letting another gang member assault her.
In 2017, Nathan was jailed for his heinous crimes, but he was released in 2024. He reinvented himself as a man called Joe and got a job as a construction worker.
Bethany discovered Nathan had been set free and suspected he had a part to play in the recent disappearance of Lauren Bolton (Cait Fitton), who resembled the type of victim that Nathan would target.
Nathan was eventually attacked and brutally beaten by a hooded figure, who was later revealed to be Gary Windass (Mikey North), in order to make him leave Weatherfield for good.
Christopher has also starred in a long list of other popular television shows, including: “Doctors, Holby City, Upstairs Downstairs, Endeavour, Hearbeat, The Bill, and many more.
Call the Midwife returns to BBC One and iPlayer on Christmas Day