CALL THE MIDWIFE: INTERVIEW WITH HELEN GEORGE
Call The Midwife returns this weekend on BBC One. Here's Helen George's press interview, courtesy of BBC Media Centre.
INTERVIEW WITH HELEN GEORGE (TRIXIE)
What is going on at the beginning of episode one?
"Episode one is very exciting for Trixie. She is asked by Sister Julienne to go to the Lady Emily Clinic, which is a private clinic in Chelsea. Her task is to observe exactly how their systems work and how their midwifery functions. Delivery at the Lady Emily Clinic is a more doctor-led process. The thought is that Nonnatus House will rent out midwives and nuns to the Lady Emily to help out with the deliveries and to staff the practice. In return, they'll get paid, and Nonnatus House will be saved. But we'll have to wait for episode two to find out if it goes well or not!"
What has changed for Trixie during the last ten years?
"There's been a lot! When you have been with a character for that long, you see them grow and change. When I look back to Trixie very early on, the journey that she's been on is pretty huge. It's been fascinating to watch her develop from this bubbly, blonde, best-friend type character, and then delving into her past and seeing the relationship with her parents and what made her come into nursing. It was really interesting to work with Trixie's alcohol problem as well. There's been such a change to her character over the last decade. It's been fascinating to play and to be involved with someone else's life for so long."
What does the tenth anniversary of the show signify?
"The tenth anniversary is a really big deal for Call the Midwife. We started out thinking it would just be a small show, lasting for just six episodes. And here we are a decade later! So it means a lot that people are still watching it after ten years. Especially over lockdown, people have been going back to the first series and watching it all from the start, which is a lot of episodes! But it's really great that people are still wanting the show and still wanting us there."
Do you have any plans to celebrate the tenth anniversary?
"I'm sure there'll be a lot of champagne drinking at some point! But for the moment, I think the celebration is just that we managed to film it during the pandemic. We are all really chuffed that it's still going ahead ten years in and with so many Covid restrictions as well."
How do you personally feel to have been with the show for a decade?
"I can't believe I've been with the show for ten years! It feels like just yesterday when we started it. It feels pretty amazing. Not many people get to do a show for ten years, particularly a really good drama with the viewing figures we're still getting. I'm very proud to be part of a show that is watched throughout the world, by so many different age groups as well. I feel really honoured to be part of it. It's been pretty special."