The Sisters

Created and written by Heidi Thomas, Call the Midwife returns to BBC One for a sixth series in January 2017.

Published: 9 January 2017
It’s really interesting getting to the 1960's, this is a period of time I remember as a child, the pop music, the London fashions, Twiggy, the Beatles, moon landings, JFK, the Cuba crisis. I was aware I belonged in an exciting world, I knew nothing else.
— Jenny Agutter
  • Jenny Agutter plays Sister Julienne
  • Judy Parfitt plays Sister Monica Joan
  • Victoria Yeates plays Sister Winifred

Q&A

Tell us about the scripts.

Jenny: Each year brings social and economic change, the scripts reflect the way Nonnatus and the local community deal with these changes. It’s exciting reading the scripts. The way the stories unfold is always a surprise to me, they are completely honest about people and situations, but very cleverly devised so you are never sure what will happen. I particularly admire the way Heidi Thomas shows how moments of fun and enjoyment keep one going through difficult times and that the moments of loss and sadness come when least expected.

Judy: They’re all authentic, because they get input from all sorts of midwives and medical people. Heidi is brilliant, she’s on the button all the time about what was happening then, they’re all completely realistic. There’s always an underlying theme that makes people think about things in a fresh way – it almost makes people think about things they hadn’t given serious thought to before.

Victoria: What I really like about Heidi’s writing is that it teaches you and teaches people who weren’t there. Lots of young teenagers who watch it don’t know about the struggle for women’s rights and the pill, and all these different things we take for granted. She’s created something incredibly special, new and brave, centered on female stories which is a seminal piece of television.

Tell us about entering the Sixties.

Jenny: It’s really interesting getting to the 1960's, this is a period of time I remember as a child, the pop music, the London fashions, Twiggy, the Beatles, moon landings, JFK, the Cuba crisis. I was aware I belonged in an exciting world, I knew nothing else. It would have been a very different experience for Sister Julienne who had been through two world wars, has seen huge social change, and is possibly puzzled by the innovations and changing aspirations of the younger people around her.

Judy: Unlike the midwives with the smoking, the drinking and the costumes of that era, Sister Monica Joan sails through all that, it doesn’t affect her. She’s in awe of all the new things that are coming technically but she lives in her own space and her reaction is perhaps a little different from most peoples.

Victoria: You really start to see the changing nature of Poplar, for example, you’ve got lots of different immigrants coming in and lots of our stories are about that. I think it’s really good to remember that the 1960s weren’t like people think. I think we’re doing a really good thing with bringing that to people's attention, that we still have the same problems with racism and people not being as tolerant as they should be. I think we can all suffer from golden age syndrome – you know, "oh it wasn’t like that then", and it was. I’m really enjoying being part of showing that.

In what way has your character grown and developed since you started?

Judy: With Sister Monica Joan, it’s difficult because she’s always danced to her own tune. She is very well educated, highly intelligent, very well read but she’s very fragile emotionally.

Victoria: Sister Winifred starts off not enjoying the midwifery part, and she’s pretty fearful, not got that much self-esteem, low on confidence, she’s got that kind of nervous energy about her and we see her trying to work out where she fits. Throughout we really see Sister Winifred growing up in front of your eyes. You’re seeing her growing pains trying to work out what she believes in, who she is, her hierarchy, her status and changing. I feel like I’ve tried to show change in her. Her seeing suffering, losing her naivety and trying to stand up for herself more about what she believes. You see it much more this series where she loses her temper a bit and starts to find a voice and say no, this is what I think.

If you had to deliver a baby for real do you think you could do it?

Judy: As I’ve given birth myself, I would obviously have some idea to a certain extent, but would always feel a necessity to call a midwife!

Victoria: No, I couldn’t deliver a baby. If you were on a bus and somebody was having a baby you’d go through the motions I suppose, you’d just sort of say some of your dialogue and hopefully it would be the right thing to say.

If you had to play somebody else’s part, who would you be and why?

Judy: I’m very happy playing Sister Monica Joan and have never thought about playing any other part.

Victoria: Trixie, because she gets to wear all the best clothes.