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Annika star Paul McGann has family connection to Call the Midwife – details

The 63-year-old actor portrays Nicola Walker's on-screen love interest


Paul McGann as Jake Strathearn in Annika
Nicky Morris
TV and film writer
On 23 August 2023
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Annika is back on our screens with its second season and we are loving catching up with DI Strandhed and the rest of the team at Glasgow's Marine Homicide Unit.

Starring alongside Nicola Walker in the crime drama is actor Paul McGann as therapist Jake Strathearn, who strikes up a romance with the titular character. While Paul is a recognisable face thanks to his various TV roles, including in Luther, Doctor Who and Holby City, did you know that his brother is also a star of the small screen? 

WATCH: Are you enjoying Annika season 2?

Who is Paul McGann?

Paul McGann is a 63-year-old actor from Liverpool. 

He is known for his work both on screen and on the stage and has starred in an array of TV series, including New Tricks, Ripper Street and The Bletchley Circle. 

Paul McGann as Jake Strathearn in Annika© Graeme Hunter
Paul McGann plays Jake Strathearn in Annika

While the star may be recognised for playing Mark North in ten episodes of the BBC drama, Luther, as well as for his portrayal of John Gaskell in the medical drama, Holby City, he is probably best known for his role in Doctor Who

The actor portrayed the eighth incarnation of the Doctor in the 1996 TV film and later appeared in the main television series for the 2022 special, 'The Power of the Doctor'.

Paul has also narrated several audiobooks, including the novels of Pat Barker and Bernard Cornwell, and has also reprised his role of the Eighth Doctor in an extensive series of audio plays.

Paul McGann as Jake Strathearn and Nicola Walker as DI Annika Strandhed in Annika© Graeme Hunter
Paul stars alongside Nicola Walker in Annika

While Paul is very private about his personal life, we do know that he was married to a woman named Annie Milner from 1991 until their split in 2006. The couple welcomed two sons together, Jake and Joseph. 

Who is Paul McGann's brother?

Paul's brother is Call the Midwife star Stephen McGann, who plays Dr Patrick Turner on the show. Stephen and Paul are two of four brothers, the others being Joe and Mark, who are both actors. They also have a younger sister named Claire. 

Prior to starring in Call the Midwife, Stephen, 60, played the role of Sean Reynolds in the ITV soap, Emmerdale. He also made appearances in shows such as Doctors, Casualty and The Bill. 

Stephen McGann in Call the Midwife© Emma Barrott
Stephen McGann plays Dr Turner in Call the Midwife

MORE: 6 Nicola Walker dramas that are a must-watchMeet Annika star Nicola Walker's famous husband

MORE: Meet Annika star Nicola Walker's famous husband

In 1995, the actor appeared alongside his brothers Paul and Mark in the 1995 TV movie, Catherine The Great, which starred Catherine Zeta-Jones. 

Brothers Paul and Stephen McGann in 1995© David Crump/ANL/Shutterstock
Brothers Paul and Stephen McGann in 1995

Stephen is married to Call the Midwife creator and writer, Heidi Thomas. 

The couple, who first met in the mid-80s when Stephen auditioned for Heidi's play, have been married since 1990 and share one son named Dominic. 

stephen mcgann heidi wife© Photo: Getty Images
Stephen with his wife Heidi Thomas

Opening up about their marriage in an interview with The Times last year, Stephen said: "We're now at the stage where people break into spontaneous applause when we tell them how long we've been married [31 years].

"At the altar, we promised to love and honour, but she never promised to obey me. I love her but I've never expected her to listen to anything I say."

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