Cliff Parisi

Cliff Parisi starred in different medical drama before landing the role of Fred Buckle on Call the Midwife

Cliff Parisi looks a world away from Call the Midwife‘s Fred Buckle in a popular ITV period drama.

During the first season of Call the Midwife, which aired in 2012, actor Cliff Parisi was introduced as Fred Buckle, the kind and attentive handyman at Nonnatus House before he became a local shopkeeper, and he’s remained a fan favourite ever since.

Fred is married to councillor Violet Buckle (played by Annabelle Apsion), has two daughters from a previous marriage, and an adopted son, Reggie, portrayed by Daniel Laurie.

In the forthcoming Call the Midwife prequel, Sisters in Arms, which is set to air this Christmas, Fred’s backstory will be explored as the BBC show rewinds to World War Two, with actor Ciaran Bowling taking on the role of a younger incarnation of Fred.

For the first time, viewers will see the character alongside his first wife Betty Buckle, played by Ami Metcalf, as the Blitz takes hold of Polar, East London.

Away from Call the Midwife, EastEnders fans will recognise Cliff as the kind-hearted Minty Paterson on the BBC soap between 2002 and 2010.

The 66 -year-old actor also won over audiences during his stint on I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here in 2019, and showcased his culinary talents on Celebrity MasterChef in 2022.

Beyond EastEnders and Call the Midwife, Cliff has played a variety of roles in some of Britain’s most popular TV shows over the years, including Casualty, Hollyoaks, Outnumbered, The Darling Buds of May, and London’s Burning.

His acting career began with the 1989 comedy film Queen of Hearts, where he played the Manager. Following this, he appeared in A Bit of Fry and Laurie in 1990 and KYTV in 1990 and 1993.

Between 1995 and 1996, Cliff took up the role of Daniel Bentley in ITV’s series Bramwell, and he’s now utterly transformed from the ill-fated hospital porter we see today. Sporting darker locks, facial hair, and a pensive expression, the actor is hardly recognisable.

Set in Victorian times, the medical drama centers around Dr. Eleanor Bramwell, portrayed by Jemma Redgrave, as she operates a free infirmary for the destitute in the East End.

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The second season sees a cholera outbreak take its toll, with Daniel Bentley succumbing to illness and subsequently dying from an overdose caused by a dosage miscalculation. Bramwell aired on ITV across four seasons from May 1995 until June 1998.

Since Bramwell debuted on television, the show has gained legions of fans, with one person writing on IMDb: “Great period piece–well worth watching. I came upon this miniseries by accident, and I am glad I did.

“I’d never heard of it, but it sounded interesting. It really does a good job of portraying what London and medicine probably were like back in the 1800s.”

A second explained: “An amazing series. I have followed “Bramwell” since I started watching the mini-series on PBS’s “Masterpiece Theatre” a few years ago. The depiction of a female doctor in Victorian England is very entertaining and groundbreaking. I strongly recommend it to anyone interested in period drama or the history of medical practice.”

“Loved Seasons 1-3. I started watching this show (Netflix instant play) as background noise while I worked on some projects, but soon fell in love.

“I am particularly drawn to medical dramas, and this show was no exception. I love the relationship between the doctors Bramwell (Elanor and her father) and the hopefully somewhat-accurate depiction of the struggles a woman doctor might face in those times”, added another.

Call the Midwife is available to stream on BBC iPlayer