Call the Midwife cast praise "huge effort" filming Christmas special amid pandemic in behind-the-scenes video
Despite a major delay, the team were able to finish this year's episode safely and on time.
The cast of BBC One's Call the Midwife have praised the production team's hard work to operate a "COVID-safe" set, which allowed this year's Christmas special to be completed despite delays.
Jenny Agutter, Helen George and Stephen McGann appear in a new behind-the-scenes video shared on the show's official Twitter page, just days before its eagerly anticipated return.
Set in December 1965, the upcoming festive episode will see Sister Monica Joan (Judy Parfitt) rushed to hospital, while the arrival of a travelling circus brings an exciting opportunity for Nurse Crane (Linda Bassett).
"It's not been a good year, we didn't manage to start on time, everybody's been through difficult times," Agutter says at the start of the informative clip.
"It's through a huge effort on the production side, particularly Annie Tricklebank, who's pushed to get this to happen, that we've been able to start work and it's amazing to be working so that is a celebration in itself."
The veteran actress, who has played Sister Julienne on the show since it began, went on to say the response from fans on social media has made it clear how important Call the Midwife is to people's lives – especially after a year like 2020.
Co-star Helen George said: "I think we're all pretty relieved that we've managed to get this filmed because there was a moment when we thought, 'Hmm, are we going to have Call the Midwife on Christmas Day?'
"It's incredible the work that's been done to make it COVID-safe and we were six months behind filming as well, so it's incredible that they've managed to get this together and to make it so safe for us all."
You can watch the video below.
https://twitter.com/CallTheMidwife1/status/1340650026490617859
Earlier in the year, several Call the Midwife cast members and creator Heidi Thomas took part in a series of live-streamed interviews about certain episodes in collaboration with RadioTimes.com. They remain available to stream on Facebook.
The Call the Midwife Christmas special will air at 7:40pm on 25th December 2020 on BBC One. While you're waiting, check out our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.
In the US, the Call the Midwife Holiday Special 2020 airs on PBS at 9/8c on Christmas Day.
Authors
Comments, questions and tips
Overall rating
Download RT App today!
summer
Immediate’s iconic brands reach 21m people every month – that’s more than a third of the UK’s adults – through its world-class magazines, innovative digital products and exciting live eventsImmediate’s iconic brands reach 21m people every month – that’s more than a third of the UK’s adults – through its world-class magazines, innovative digital products and exciting live eventsImmediate’s iconic brands reach 21m people every month – that’s more than a third of the UK’s adults – through its world-class magazines, innovative digital products and exciting live events