‘Call the Midwife’: Erin Doherty, Miriam Margolyes, & 7 Other Famous Guest Stars
The new season of Call the Midwife will hit American shores in the next few weeks, allowing fans to catch up with the hardworking midwives and nuns in the town of Poplar, London.
Over the years, a great many familiar faces have passed through Nonnatus House during the series’ 15-season run. Whether they were troubled new mothers, curious sisters with compelling backstories, or simply friendly locals in need of a helping hand, these guest stars have added warmth, tension, and humanity to the show’s deeply rooted storytelling.
Here is a look back at a few guest stars who have stood out over the years and left a lasting impression on the midwives, the nuns, and the viewers alike.
Erin Doherty
Actress Erin Doherty appeared as Jessie Marsh, the pregnant wife of a dock worker in a poignant storyline during Season 6 Episode 2, marking one of her early TV roles before she became widely known as the snarky Princess Anne in The Crown and earning accolades for her impressive turn in Adolescence.
Miriam Margolyes
Miriam Margolyes played the formidable Mother Mildred (initially Sister Mildred), the Mother Superior of the Order of St. Raymond Nonnatus. She was first introduced in the 2018 Christmas Special, when she arrived at Nonnatus House with four Chinese orphans, including Little May (April Rae Hoang). Margolyes is best known for her turns as Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter franchise, The Nurse in Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet, Mrs. Mingott in The Age of Innocence, and for shocking the pants off the late Matthew Perry during her time on Graham Norton‘s couch.
Sandi Toksvig
Sandi Toksvig appeared in Call the Midwife as Sister Gibbs, a ward sister, in the 2013 Christmas Special. A well-known writer and activist, Toksvig is best known in the U.S. for hosting The Great British Bake Off for three years alongside Noel Fielding.
Harriet Walter
Harriet Walter played the stern Sister Ursula, a temporary replacement head of Nonnatus House in Season 6. Walter is an acting icon known for her roles as Lady Caroline Collingwood in Succession, Clemmie Churchill in The Crown, Fanny Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility, and Dr. Kalonia in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, to name just a few.
Dylan Llewellyn
Dylan Llewellyn is an English actor who played Stewart Irmsby, the husband of expectant mother Marion, in Season 9 Episode 7. He is best known as James (“The Wee English Fella”) in Derry Girls.
Rosie Jones
Comedian and writer Rosie Jones played Doreen Challis, a pregnant woman living with cerebral palsy who concealed her pregnancy from her mother. Jones is best known as a stand-up comedian, known incorporating her cerebral palsy into her routines.
Jason Watkins
Jason Watkins guest-starred as the talkative Reverend Applebee-Thornton in Season 2 Episode 4. He is best known for his BAFTA-winning role in The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies, Prime Minister Harold Wilson in The Crown, and DS Dodds in McDonald & Dodds.
Nicholas Farrell
Nicholas Farrell played Charles Newgarden in Season 4 Episode 2 as a wealthy, ailing former romantic interest of Sister Julienne (Jenny Agutter). Other notable credits include Aubrey Montague in Chariots of Fire, Mr. Dussel in The Diary of Anne Frank, Michael Shea on The Crown, and Prime Minister Brian Green on Torchwood.
Izzy Meikle-Small
Izzy Meikle-Small will portray Thelma Cutler, an expectant mother facing a difficult pregnancy in Season 15, Episode 1. Meikle-Small is best known for her role as Rachel Hunter in Outlander.
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