Explained: What happened to Sister Frances in Call the Midwife?

We recently witnessed a special Christmas episode of Call the Midwife, which had a lot of blissful and tear-jerking moments. The episode served as a catalyst for season 12 and turned out to be one of the best episodes of the show.

The episode had some good moments, like the return of a beloved character and a monumental change to her life, but it also saw some people leaving the show, leaving fans heartbroken.

One particular character we saw leave Poplar for a break from life at Nonnatus House was Sister Frances. But what exactly happened to her?

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers from Call the Midwife.

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Call the Midwife: Sister Frances' injury causes her to take a break from her duties as a midwife

Ella Bruccoleri as Sister Francis in the show (Image via IMDb)

One of the most adored characters from Call the Midwife is a nurse named Sister Francis, played by Ella Bruccoleri. In the Christmas special episode, Sister Francis was met with an unfortunate accident, due to which she will not be seen on the show for some time.

This came after Sister Hilda, played by Fenella Woolgar, had already made her exit from Poplar. At the very beginning of the episode, we were hinted that Sister Hilda had already left when Sister Frances asked Sister Julienne:

“So, Sister Hilda isn’t coming back at all?”

To which she replied:

"You heard Mother Mildred. She’s of the view that we can do very well without her."

The selfless Sister Francis immediately decided to pick up the absent Sister Hilda's responsibilities. But being a nurse in those times wasn't child's play. You never knew about the forthcoming disasters in that job, and this is exactly what happened to her.

She was burdened with too much work between preparing for the holiday and handling her midwife duties. She headed out to attend to a mother in labor, but there were complications after the delivery. She then rode her bicycle through the snow to call Nonnatus House, which was answered by Nurse Lucille Anderson, played by Leonie Elliott.

Nurse Lucille informed Sister Frances that she would arrive shortly, and Sister Frances rushed back to the mother in labor. She then tragically fell off the bicycle and fractured her arm. Nurse Lucille then arrived to help the mother in distress, and Sister Frances was taken to a hospital for a check-up.

Sister Julienne, played by Jenny Agutter, later admitted that Sister Francis was pushed to the limit and something like this was bound to happen.

For the time being, Sister Frances has left Nonnatus House to recover at Chichester. Fans loved her warmth and will truly miss Ella Bruccoleri on the show.

In a conversation with the Express, a source from Call the Midwife said:

“Ella and Fenella are off doing other things now – but that doesn’t mean they won’t come back again at some point. They’ll both be missed."

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What is Call the Midwife about?

Call the Midwife, which first aired in 2012, is a show that follows the lives of nurse midwives working in the East End of London in the late 1950s and 1960s.

The show's synopsis, according to IMDB, reads:

"Chronicles the lives of a group of midwives living in East London in the late 1950s to late 1960s."

Created by Heidi Thomas, it is based on the Memoirs of Jennifer Worth, a nurse and midwife who lived in the 1950s. The next season's filming has officially concluded, and episodes will begin airing in March 2023.

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