Midwife

Call the Midwife favourite Judy Parfitt appeared on ITV’s Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh

A Call the Midwife legend has opened up about their emotional exit from the BBC drama.

Judy Parfitt is best known for playing Sister Monica Joan in the long-running series. Viewers were therefore left heartbroken when the cherished nun passed away peacefully in her bed at Nonnatus House in the season 15 finale.

During her final moments, Sister Monica Joan was emotionally reunited with Sister Evangelina (played by Pam Ferris), who unexpectedly died during the season five finale from a suspected stroke.

Actress Judy Parfitt appeared on ITV’s Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh on Sunday (June 7), where she was joined by Brian Conley, Freddie Fox, Julian Ovenden and Honeysuckle Weeks.

After being shown an “enormously sad” clip of Sister Monica Joan being reunited with Sister Evangelina, Alan said: “I can’t watch that,” with Judy admitting: “Neither can I!”

She added: “Showing me at my best, I see. Also, [I] had a cap and it had the thing [go] round, so all the wrinkles were pushed up. So, [you think], ‘God, do I look as bad as that?’ And the top lighting, it looked like the Grand Canyon!”

On being reunited with Pam Ferris, Judy went on: “It was absolutely wonderful, because, I think, Pam left after four years, and we used to sit together quite a lot during the time she was there, swapping recipes and everything – it was wonderful.

“I hadn’t seen her, we only phoned a couple of times after she left, and it was so wonderful to do that scene with her, because it’s like you’ve found your teammate, sort of [like] tennis or something, and she was throwing the ball back.

“It was just a lovely atmosphere, and we’ve kept in touch ever since then – it was lovely.”

Judy then looked back on being part of the drama for so many years, sharing: “It was like a family, and that’s what I miss terribly. We’d seen each other through marriages, births, deaths, divorce – everything. And we helped each other.

“It was lovely because it was mostly women. Sorry guys, but it was wonderful to be in a show where instead [of there being] 13 men and two women – one young one and one old one – you have a show with all these women. There was no jealousy, no rivalry or anything. It was wonderful.”

BBC viewers will be pleased to learn that they haven’t seen the last of Sister Monica Joan.

Following the latest season of Call the Midwife, the show will rewind the clock to World War II with a prequel series, titled Sisters in Arms, which will be set in Poplar during the London Blitz.

Creator and writer Heidi Thomas revealed that it will include younger incarnations of Sister Monica Joan, as well as Sister Evangelina and Sister Julienne (Jenny Agutter).

The returning Sisters will also be joined by three new young midwifes, who are new to the East End.

Call the Midwife is available to watch on BBC iPlayer, while Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh is streaming on ITVX

Ella Bruccoleri shot to fame on Call the Midwife in 2018 and has recently bowled over period drama fans on The Other Bennet Sister

Ella Bruccoleri has made a surprise confession about her rise to fame as a television actress.

The 36-year-old star recently appeared as the lead in the BBC One drama The Other Bennet Sister, inspired by Jane Austen’s timeless Pride and Prejudice.

Based on the popular novel of the same name by author Janice Hadlow, The Other Bennet Sister turns the spotlight onto Mary Bennet, the seemingly unremarkable middle sister in Pride and Prejudice.

Upon its March launch, the period drama became an instant hit with viewers, with some critics branding Ella’s performance “absolutely lovely” and the show a “must-watch”.

It’s no surprise that Ella captivated viewers with her portrayal of Mary Bennet, as she is no stranger to historical dramas. In 2018, the actress rose to fame when she joined Call the Midwife as Sister Frances, a role she held for 4 years.

The popular character’s final episode in 2022 saw her playing a game with the children at the Mother House to correctly guess the name she had before becoming a nun. On her way back from her day of work, she injured her shoulder after a bike crash.

While she hasn’t been seen since Sister Julienne (Jenny Agutter) sent her to Chichester to recuperate, viewers did get some closure when they learned her given name is Rosemary.

Following her exit from Call the Midwife, Ella has gone on to play Miss Barragan in the third season of Netflix’s Bridgerton and appeared in all three entries of the recent Strangers horror movie trilogy.

In 2021, she starred as Anabel Dinsdale in All Creatures Great and Small and played a nun in the series The Last Kingdom.

Enjoying great success in her career, Ella has now revealed that she struggled to watch herself on-screen during her earlier acting days, including on Call the Midwife.

She told the New York Times: “The first year of seeing myself on camera, I was just miserable because I was like, ‘I don’t think that looks like me'”. But on The Other Bennet Sister, Ella was happy to retreat from vanity and relished Mary’s characteristic of an unflattering haircut and geeky glasses.

The story of an overlooked and undervalued young woman finally realising her worth resonates with her. “I relate to her a lot, and I see a lot of her in me”, she added.

Earlier this year, Ella also opened up to the Radio Times about her feelings on her earlier work on Call the Midwife, including why she quit the role:

“When I look back at my early episodes, I’m thinking, ‘Oh, that’s not good’. I learnt screen acting on the job, and it was invaluable”, she said. “It felt crazy quitting a great job but I’d started getting different offers, and I realised I love the variety of different things.”

The Other Bennet Sister and Call the Midwife are both available to stream on BBC iPlayer

As fans anticipate the Call the Midwife prequel, they can enjoy four seasons of another heartwarming drama set in the 1930s.

Call the Midwife fans are urging period drama lovers to watch a show that features an All Creatures Great and Small star.

Earlier this year, season 15 of Call the Midwife left viewers in tears when Sister Monica Joan (Judy Parfitt) passed away peacefully at Nonnatus House from chronic kidney disease.

The much-loved, who had been a part of the BBC show since its launch in 2012, declined medical intervention for her health condition, allowing the illness to take its natural course, leaving her friends devastated.

The future of Nonnatus House also remains unknown due to advances in the National Health Service. However, the drama will return with a prequel, a movie, and season 16.

While fans wait for new episodes, they can watch another popular period drama featuring some well-known actors.

The Durrells, which originally aired on ITV back in 2016, is based on the best-selling book trilogy by author Gerald Durrell, chronicling his childhood on the Greek island of Corfu in the 1930s.

Keeley Hawes plays matriarch Louisa Durrell, who relocates her family from Bournemouth to the island of Corfu after struggling financially following the untimely death of her husband a few years earlier.

Making up the Durrells are Louisa’s four children, including sons Lawrence (Josh O’Connor), Gerald (Milo Parker), Leslie (Callum Woodhouse), and her only daughter, Margo (Daisy Waterstone).

All Creatures Great and Small fans will recognise Callum Woodhouse as rule-breaking veterinarian Tristan Farnon in the period drama.

The Durrells consists of four seasons and proved a hit with critics and viewers alike, earning a BAFTA and a TV Choice Award for Best Drama Series in 2017.

Seasons two and three also still have a perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes rating, with one fan describing it as: “Full of sibling squabbles, an exasperated mother and gorgeous beach scenery. Despite the family drama, Durrells always maintains a sweet, loving tone.”

Taking to Reddit, one Call the Midwife asked: “Almost done with Call the Midwife on Netflix and it has become my newest comfort show. What else can I watch that will scratch my cosy historical itch?”

One person replied: “The Durrells or All Creatures Great and Small!”, while another echoed the sentiment and commented: “Yes! The Durells of Corfu was the first thing I thought of!”

“The Durrells is great”, added one fan as another suggested: “Agree and would add Grantchester.”

On IMDb, one fan referred to The Durrells as a “Lovely, quirky show”, while another commented: “Heart-warming but in a good way”.

“I see this as a charming, sun-baked, Mediterranean-blue inspired bit of froth. The family is suitably wacky, the scenery is stunning and the script is full of good fun. Opa!”, added another.

The Durrells is available to stream on Disney+ and all seasons of Call the Midwife are available to watch on BBC iPlayer