'Call the Midwife's Jenny Agutter Teases the Battle with the Board of Health

The ladies of Nonnatus House cannot catch a break on Call the Midwife. They finally saved the house from financial ruin in Season 13 and now own the property outright, but in Season 14, they set up a battle for the upkeep funds of the charity. We got a little taste of the fight during the Christmas special when Sister Julienne (Jenny Agutter) went to the Board of Health to request funding to get Nonnatus House a new roof. Her request was denied, and it was very apparent that the Board disapproved of nuns providing healthcare and sex education to a secular community. 

"[The nuns] have the joy of owning the property, but it is also all of the overhead of owning a property that is not in great shape. They have a council that is not keen on them being there," Jenny Agutter told Telly Visions in a recent interview.  "The nuns are working with the community, [but]  they're no longer in charge of what they're doing because there are so many restrictions that the council wishes them to go through to be able to do their work. They're no longer supported in their work. They're not supported in the building." 

The friction with the Council and the Board of Health is a sign of the times. As time passes, the neighborhood is becoming more secular, and the expansion of the National Health Service in the 1960s gives the impression that the services of Nonnatus House are no longer necessary. However, that couldn't be farther from the truth. 

“So much has happened in the 60s, so much growth, the NHS, everything has been wonderful, and yet in the 70s, there are no rewards. The growth that one’s seen has actually almost caused splits. So through the series, we are seeing a huge amount of poverty, people being evicted from houses, the strikes, people demanding more money, and the difficulties they’re all facing,” Agutter elaborated. “Somehow, the council is saying, ‘Well, we’re responsible. We’re taking care of this. We’ve got new social housing. We’ve got these things. We’ve got everything in place.’ It doesn’t work quite like that.” 

However, this is too big of a battle for Sister Julienne to take on by herself. She recruits Trixie (Helen George) to help make the case for Nonnatus House. Agutter explains there are multiple reasons that Trixie makes a great spokesperson for the Order and the work the nuns and midwives are doing for the community. 

“There is more than the nuns who are serving as midwives. They have other midwives within that who are going out to the community and doing their work, working as well with people who are sick, working post birth, and lots and lots of work like that,” Agutter said. “She uses Trixie to go forward and be the person who presents their story for two reasons. She’s Lady Aylwood, which, of course, is quite impressive. She’s also not in a habit, which is worrying to the particular member of the council that Sister Julienne has to deal with.” 

As always, Sister Julienne will not back down from a fight. And we would never underestimate Trixie in a battle of wits. 

“Sister Julienne just wants to keep things going. There are more births in hospitals than there were, but they still have their maternity ward and the home there, which is important,” Agutter said of Nonnatus House’s future. “They do contribute a huge amount to the community. Sister Julienne’s biggest struggle is that she doesn’t understand why, after however many years, you know, we’ve been working within the community, and suddenly they’re saying they don’t need us? That can’t be right. But it’s just that matter of systems and the council and all of that. That’s the battle she’s got going.” 

And fans will be behind them every step of the way. 

Call the Midwife Season 14 continues on Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on most PBS stations, the PBS app, and the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel. The series has already been streaming as an early weekly release on PBS Passport for members since Friday, February 28, 2025, and will stream the finale in mid-April. The series will stream on the PBS app and the PBS Masterpiece Channel weekly through mid-May. As always, check your local listings.