‘Call The Midwife’ Star Helen George Defended Her Right to Work While Pregnant

It seems viewers have caught onto the fact that the actress who plays Beatrix “Trixie” Franklin on Call the Midwife was pregnant in real life while filming the BBC show’s 11th series.

“They don’t seem to be hiding the fact that Helen George was pregnant whilst filming as well as they did the first time,” one viewer tweeted on Jan. 23, referencing the other time actress Helen George was pregnant at a time Trixie was not. “Suppose she can’t exactly be wearing big coats during a heatwave,” that viewer added.

Other fans, though, said they had no idea that actress Helen George was expecting. “I just enjoy watching the show,” another person tweeted.

In a tweet on Jan. 30, Helen called out social media users who questioned her for staying on set while pregnant. “I’ve seen too many ridiculous comments about my pregnancy whilst filming [Call the Midwife]. (Also, thank you for the lovely comments!)” she wrote. “Women get pregnant, our bodies change. But we have the right to work if we choose to do so. How about just supporting it, and don’t question it?”

According to a screenshot, a now-suspended Twitter user named Fanny was one of those naysayers. “It’s very unprofessional, in my opinion,” Fanny wrote on Jan. 30. “It’s a short window. She should quit if she wants to be pregnant during filming. It ruins continuity and the aesthetics of the show.”

The screenshot also reveals that Olly Rix, the actor who plays Trixie’s love interest Matthew Aylward on the show, rose to Helen’s defense and responded to that user, writing, “Take a bow, Fanny. Dumbest f—king tweet of the night.”

Other Twitter users chimed in, too, as Hello! reports. “I can’t say I even noticed, as I was too much engaged in the story and your acting,” one told Helen. “You always look amazing and are a joy to watch on screen.”

Another fan noticed Helen’s real-life pregnancy “straight away, especially with all the props right in front of the tummy.”

“Did it matter? Not a jot,” that fan wrote in a tweet. “Such a beautiful program. Congrats to you.”

Midway through Call the Midwife’s 11th series, Trixie leaves Nonnatus House and travels to Italy once she discovers her grandmother is ill, telling Matthew that she doesn’t know how long she’d be gone. And that was the last fans saw of the character, leading some to suspect Helen George and Trixie had exited the show.

The Daily Express, however, speculates that Helen’s leave from the period drama is not permanent and that she’s likely to return for the 12th series. As the tabloid reports, Helen gave birth to Lark, her second child, in November 2021, the same month that filming on Call the Midwife’s 11th series wrapped.

The actress and her husband, Jack Ashton, who played Rev. Tom Hereward on the show, also have a 4-year-old named Wren.

And she introduced her newest addition to the family on Instagram this December. “Our second little bird. This is Lark,” she wrote at the time. “We should probably stop there so we don’t end up with a Goose.”