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The recent Christmas special of Call the Midwife saw its fair share of highs and lows. Unfortunately, right at the very start of the episode, we learned that Fenella Woolgar, who played the role of Sister Hilda, had been axed from the show.
Viewers also saw the return of the beloved Nurse Trixie Franklin and her engagement to Matthew. While these developments did bring joy to fans, the departure of Fenella Woolgar and Ella Bruccoleri, who play Sister Frances, has devastated them.
The episode detailed what happened to Sister Frances, but Sister Hilda's departure was silent and subtle. Fans will genuinely miss the loveable nurses from Nonnatus House in Poplar.
Let's take a closer look at the life and career of Fenella Woolgar, i.e the beloved Sister Hilda in Call the Midwife.
A brief look at Fenella Woolgar's life and career
Born on August 4, 1969, Fenella Woolgar is an English film, theater, TV and radio actress.
She was born in the West London Borough of Hillingdon to parents Michael and Maureen. She is part Irish and spent several years of her early life in New Canaan, Connecticut, USA. She studied at Mayfield School and Durham University, before going on to pursue a degree at the RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art).
While still in university, she directed Murder in the Cathedral in Durham Cathedral and even wrote and performed comedy in The Durham Revue.
She made her debut in 2003 as Agatha in Bright Young Things, a role for which she received several nominations. She then appeared in Vera Drake, Mr. Turner, The Veil and, Scoop and You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger.
She is possibly best known for her portrayal of Agatha Christie in Doctor Who in 2008, where she was cast alongside David Tennant. In 2010 she voiced the character Dr. Sofia Lamb, the antagonist of the video game, Bioshock.
In 2014 and 2015, she portrayed Alison Scotlock in Home Fires. In 2018 she joined the cast of Call the Midwife as Sister Hilda.
Throughout her career, she has won and been nominated for several awards in theater, films, and shows. In 2013, she won the Clarence Derwent Award for Best Supporting Actress in the West End. The following year, she won the award for the Stage Performance of the Year. More recently, in 2019, she took home the award for Celebrity Portrait Artist of the Year.
That apart, she has been nominated several times for the Best Supporting Actress category. In 2013, she was nominated for the Best Actress award by the BBC Radio Drama Awards.
What is Call the Midwife about?
Call the Midwife is a show about the lives of a group of nurse midwives working in the East End of London in the late 1950s and 1960s.
The show's IMDB synopsis reads:
"Chronicles the lives of a group of midwives living in East London in the late 1950s to late 1960s."
Created by Heidi Thomas, Call the Midwife has often been praised for covering sensitive subjects including nationalized healthcare, infertility, teen pregnancy, adoption, the importance of local community, miscarriage and stillbirths, abortion, unwanted pregnancies, birth defects, poverty, common illnesses, epidemic disease, racism, prejudice, and more.
The Christmas special served as a bridge between the end of season 11 and the start of season 12, which is scheduled to begin airing on March 2023.
