Stephen McGann joked that the sun would come out to mark the occasion.
In recent years, the Call the Midwife Christmas special has become a festive tradition to rival a roast Turkey dinner – and filming on this year’s Yuletide episode is set to get underway next week.
Stephen McGann revealed the news to RadioTimes.com and other press during a recent set visit, and the Patrick Turner star joked he was sure the sun would come out to mark the occasion.
“We literally start next week with Christmas again,” he said. “And I guarantee you, the sun will come out and we will bake while we’ve got five layers on!”
McGann also explained how the annual Christmas Day special had made the holiday feel very different for him every year, although he added that it was “an incredible privilege” to have such a prime slot in the schedules.
“It’s the weirdest feeling in the world to do all the things that everybody else does on Christmas Day, particularly Christmas dinner,” he explained. “Of course, I’m married to Heidi [Thomas], so Heidi writes the series and she does everything every mum does on Christmas Day.
“And when everybody settles down to watch Call the Midwife, we sort of look at each other in the house and go, ‘Here we go again, we’ve got to go to work!’ So it’s been a duty and a pleasure for so long, but… to actually be the Christmas special on Christmas Day, it’s an incredible privilege and one we all take very, very seriously.”
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He went on to explain how the Christmas episode is usually very different from other episodes in the series – and how that makes the filming process a little different too.
“It has a different feel; it’s a different audience, people are staying home with their families and so it’s a different vibe. It’s also the thing that brings us into a new season. It has all those elements and over the years, we’ve all gotten used to that rhythm.”
Call the Midwife was renewed for two more seasons back in February, with Heidi Thomas revealing that she was “overjoyed” by the commissioning news.
Additional reporting by David Craig.
Call the Midwife is available to stream on BBC iPlayer. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on.
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