Why 9 ‘Call the Midwife’ Stars Left the Period Drama
Sometimes Call the Midwife stars call their agents, seeking other acting jobs. Of the alumni of the BBC One series — which airs stateside on PBS — most seem to have left of their own accord, out of a desire to add more entries to their filmographies.
And just this month, British tabloids reported that another cast member will soon leave the show, the 13th season of which started filming in May. (It might be a huge spoiler, but if you really want to know which Call the Midwife character is reportedly on the chopping block, The Sun has the details.)
While we wait to return to Nonnatus House, scroll through the photos below to see the reasons behind nine notable Call the Midwife departures.
Call the Midwife, Season 13 Premiere, TBA, PBS
Jessica Raine (Jenny Lee)
Raine hinted at a desire to pursue other career opportunities in 2014, when she announced her departure from the show. “It’s been a real privilege to help bring Jenny Lee’s story alive and amazingly satisfying to see how the public have embraced the series, but as is in keeping with Jenny’s story, it’s time for me to explore pastures new,” she said at the time, per The Independent.
Miranda Hart (Chummy Noakes)
Hart left the show during Season 4 because of work commitments, according to The Guardian. And though she was due to reprise her role in Season 6, other obligations precluded that, too. “I’ve not been able to birth (pun) the schedule to make it work,” she tweeted at the time, adding, “Truly sad not to be playing Chummy this year but fans are in for a treat with Dame Harriet Walter as a new cast member and more besides.”
Pam Ferris (Sister Evangelina)
Ferris opted to leave Call the Midwife in 2016. “Making the decision to leave Call the Midwife was a wrench,” she told Radio Times, per Digital Spy. “Because I then became involved with telling the story to the best of my ability, there was no time to feel regret. I’ll miss my friends on set — in front of and behind the camera — and I’ll miss my habit, which is so well-worn and comfortable. But I shan’t miss my wimple!”
Ben Caplan (Peter Noakes)
Caplan announced his departure from Call the Midwife in 2017. “There comes a point six years down the line that, as an actor, it’s good to keep my foot in with the theatre world and exploring other roles,” he said at the time, according to The Sun. “Much as I love playing Peter Noakes, it’s great to go off and play some more edgy characters and show a little bit more diversity.”
Dorothy Atkinson (Jane Sutton)
Atkinson had to tap out of Call the Midwife to appear in the 2014 biopic film Mr. Turner, as she told Express. “Doing Midwife was a really lovely time in my life, and it was just brilliant to be working with all those fabulous women of different ages, sharing stories and hanging out,” she added. “I would love to have stayed longer, but I wasn’t available because [of the film].”
Emerald Fennell (Patsy Mount)
Fennell departed Call the Midwife to “concentrate on her scriptwriting,” as creator Heidi Thomas said last year, per Express. That scriptwriting career, notably, includes Fennell’s Oscar-winning screenplay for the 2020 film Promising Young Woman. (“God, did she make the right choice!” Thomas added.)
Victoria Yeates (Sister Winifred)
Yeates left the show when she landed the part of Bunty Broadacre in the Fantastic Beasts film series, an offshoot of the Harry Potter franchise. “With the opportunity of Fantastic Beasts and all that it entails, it became clear that it was time to hang up Sister Winifred’s wimple and move on to the next adventure,” she said in 2018, per Mirror.
Charlotte Ritchie (Barbara Hereward)
Like many of her costars, Ritchie decided to leave Call the Midwife for other acting opportunities, explaining in a 2018 Lorraine interview that she didn’t want to get “complacent,” per Daily Mail. “It was such a hard decision to make,” she added. “I love it. It’s the most wonderful job. It was just the sort of time to go, I think. My character Barbara had had such a gorgeous arc.”
Jennifer Kirby (Valerie Dyer
Kirby announced her Call the Midwife exit in 2020 and explained her choice to Metro two years later. “As an actor, I’ve always told myself I would challenge myself and push myself,” she said. “I like playing lots of different characters. So as much as I loved being part of Call The Midwife, I had to push myself to leave and make that break.”
