Call the Midwife, a popular show that follows a group of midwives in the 1960s, is set to return to our screens on BBC One, Sunday 21 January at 8pm. The upcoming series will see the new cast addition of Lucille Anderson, who will be played by Leonie Elliot. The popular series has proved a hit with viewers, so much so that it has already been confirmed that the show will continue to 2020. Speaking about the new character, writer Heidi Thomas told the Mirror: "Obviously, one has to address these issues of racial prejudice whether they're personal or institutional. But Lucille is so much more than that. We look a lot at her experiences of settling into a strange culture, finding a church that she feels happy in... and Lucille is sometimes quite old-fashioned in her moral point of view, which is quite unusual. It's important that we see all those aspects of Lucille's character."
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© Photo: BBCThe show will return on 21 January
Speaking about what to expect in season seven, Helen George revealed to RadioTimes that her character, Trixie Franklin, will struggle with alcoholism. She said: "There's also just the ongoing struggle of alcoholism, the everyday struggle, the trying to resist it even when you're knackered and you're having a really hard time at work, not reaching for a drink at the end of the day."
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© Photo: BBCLeonie Elliot has joined the cast as Lucille
Leonie added: "She finds Somerset quite close to her rural upbringing in Jamaica. She just wants a bit more excitement and wants to go to the big city, but is met by a massive snowstorm. So, a far cry from Mandeville in Jamaica!" Meanwhile, Sister Monica Joan will have her own share of drama as she will undergo an operation. Judy Parfitt told RadioTimes that it "results in something that, at the time, was a very serious thing to undergo." Heidi said: "We set it up as a little bit of a medical mystery, and so we want it to just unfold over a couple of episodes."
