The star who plays Sister Julienne says she has decided to tackle the problem with diet instead
Jenny Agutter says she has avoided doctor’s advice and found a different way to treat a health problem after being told she needed to improve her fitness. The 71-year-old actress – who is best known for starring as Sister Julienne in the BBC period drama ‘Call the Midwife’ – had been asked by her doctor if she wanted to take prescription drugs to help lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease but decided that she wanted to deal with the issue herself by switching up her diet.
She told Woman’s Weekly: “The surgery said, ‘Do you want to come in and discuss taking statins?’ I said, ‘No, I’d rather watch my diet.’ I really enjoy cooking and trying new things, so that’s a bonus.”
“So the creams, butters, sugars, meats and saturated fat can go, and I’m replacing them with healthy oils and beans, and more veggies and fruit. I’ve rediscovered cuisine minceur, a light version of French haute cuisine that I used to know about when I lived in the States in the 1970s and 80s.”
Jenny will be back on screen in her signature role over the festive period but recalled filming the special episodes earlier this year so the crew had to create their own snow in the middle of spring.
She said: “The crew created a snow flurry outside Nonnatus House and there we all were, late at night, singing Christmas carols. Despite it being April, we weren’t hot. Just the idea and sight of something so like snow made us feel quite cold!”
The BBC period medical drama – which follows the lives of antenatal staff in the 1950s and 1960s – traditionally airs a 90-minute special over the festive period but will now broadcast two hour-long episodes instead.
Heidi Thomas OBE, the show’s creator and writer, said: “Who doesn’t love finding an extra, unexpected present underneath the Christmas tree?”
“When I was asked to write a two-part Christmas special for 2024, I couldn’t resist!”
The BBC is to broadcast a two-part Call The Midwife Christmas special this year for the first time. This year’s festive trip to 1960s east London will consist of two 60-minute episodes, rather than one 90-minute episode, complete with a Christmas cliff-hanger.
In the special, the Nonnatus House midwives fulfil their duties delivering babies and a funfair comes to Poplar, bringing excitement to the neighbourhood. However, as the residents prepare for a carol concert, news of an escaped prisoner prompts fears that they could be lurking in the area after a spate of break-ins.
Also in the episodes, the Turner children become caught up in the fever surrounding the Blue Peter Christmas appeal to collect Dinky cars and scrap metal while Trixie (Helen George) makes a fleeting visit to Nonnatus House and is delighted to see her brother, Geoffrey (Christopher Harper).
Elsewhere, Miss Higgins (Georgie Glen) has her grandson Harry stay for Christmas and Violet (Annabelle Apsion) hosts a mince pie competition while the Buckles’ preparations for Reggie’s homecoming are thrown into turmoil. First look images from the episodes show the characters at what looks to be a carol concert.
Another photo shows the Turner children opening their presents at Christmas while Fred Buckle (Cliff Parisi) is seen dressed as Father Christmas, carrying a red sack and a bell. Production is underway for the next series of the programme which will consist of eight new episodes, on top of the two Christmas episodes, launching in early 2025 on BBC iPlayer and BBC One.
A 15th series of the long-running show has also been commissioned.
The two-part special will air on BBC One over the festive period.
