where would you go?
Am I allowed to say my husband? And we’re both sneakingly fond of a good brass band, so we’d go to Hyde Park bandstand and sit in deckchairs and have tea.
What is your favourite record and film?
It sounds awfully frivolous, but I could listen to Jim Reeves singing ‘Chapel In The Moonlight’ till the cows come home. And I do love High Society, it was the first film Peter and I ever went to together.
What is your most treasured memory?
I slept in the street the night before the Coronation, and got a grandstand view of the procession. Her Majesty waved at me as her carriage went by, I still get a wee bit teary when I think of it.
Your favourite meal?
I do rather relish half a pint of whelks, with bread and butter.
What do you do in your spare time?
Now that I’m married, the ironing.
What’s your secret vice?
I sometimes buy a sherbet fountain and guzzle the whole thing without stopping. I suck the sherbet through the liquorice stick and everything. In private, obviously.
And your most shining virtue?
I have unusually warm extremities. My patients like this, and so does my husband.
Where would you like to be in five years’ time?
Here. I have never been happier.
PROFILE
TRIXIE
In late May 2012, Pippa, Hugh, Philippa and I met for lunch at a restaurant on Piccadilly in London. Our rather special guest was slightly late and we sat craning our necks, with our eyes trained on the door. We wondered if we would recognise her when she arrived. Moments later, there she was – blonde, trim and exquisitely turned out in pink and grey, with a toning hat to top off the ensemble. She looked around, spotted us and gave a confident wave. Any doubt evaporated. It was the real Trixie.
Soon after Call the Midwife was broadcast and after Jennifer’s death, Pippa had been contacted by Michael Bruce, a British ex-pat living in Switzerland. He revealed that his wife, Antonia, had nursed with Jennifer Worth in Poplar in the late fifties and they believed she had been the inspiration for the character of Trixie. Pippa immediately responded and it was agreed that we would meet when Antonia came to England in the summer.
At first, we were rather nervous. The onscreen Trixie is a little more vampish and colourful than the girl presented in the book, and though Jennifer never objected, it was always possible that Antonia might. But she was, in fact, extremely cordial, clearly understanding the demands of drama, and she said how much she’d liked Helen George’s performance.
We were all curious to hear more about Antonia’s time ‘on the district’. Initially, she said she wasn’t sure how much she could remember – her Poplar days were, after all, some fifty years ago. Nevertheless, she had brought with her a leather file containing case notes and photographs from her training days. There were no snaps of Jennifer, but many of Antonia, including one of her looking radiant, fresh-faced – and distinctively blonde – on a tennis court, posing with some other midwives. It seems extraordinary that they had any energy for sport as their working days were so long and punishing – Antonia once attended three separate deliveries in a single night. In fact, one of her strongest memories is of the sheer grinding hardness of the work. But there is also much that she recalls with joy, including sitting in chapel, listening to the nuns at prayer. Another legacy was a lifetime’s friendship with Cynthia, who remained her link to Jennifer after they both married and Antonia had moved abroad.
For actress Helen George, Call the Midwife has been all about the formation of close bonds. ‘It is a really tight cast and crew who work well together,’ she explains. ‘I love the scenes when I’m with all the girls – Miranda, Bryony and Jessica – and the delivery scenes are fantastic because there is such a chemistry between us. Then when the nurses relax together, they all eat cake in the Nonnatus House kitchen and Trixie lights up a fag.’
This is perhaps the worst aspect of the job for non-smoker Helen. ‘They are herbal cigarettes and they smell awful. No fun at all when you’re going for the hundredth take.’
Q&A
What is your favourite outfit?
I think it all begins with the foundations. I couldn’t live without my circle-stitched brassiere and boned suspender belt.
Where do you go on holiday?
I have a wonderfully indulgent godmother who lives near Portofino; I try to visit her once a year.
Who is your dream date and where would you go?
I’d find it hard to resist David Niven – older men are so much more polished. And who could say no to supper and dancing at the Savoy?
What is your favourite record and film?
I have a Peggy Lee LP that we sometimes play in the parlour when the nuns have gone to bed. And I’ve seen Love is a Many Splendoured Thing five times – there’s something so compelling about a weepie.
What is your most treasured memory?
When I was eight, our cat Blossom had kittens in my doll’s cot. It was the first time I’d witnessed the miracle of birth – seeds were definitely sown that day.
Your favourite meal?
Anything eaten in an Italian restaurant, with a red-checked tablecloth and the company of friends.
What do you do in your spare time?
Mend my stockings and touch up my hair. And sometimes I sit at the back of the chapel during Compline and listen to the nuns as they sing their evening prayers. It touches me in a way I can’t describe.
What’s your secret vice?
I read the problem pages in magazines, and give really rude advice in my head.
And your most shining virtue?
I never show fear.
Where would you like to be in five years’ time?
Having fittings for a wedding dress.
