Call The Midwife returns! Read the scoop with Jenny Agutter

Call the Midwife series 8 will premiere in the UAE on BBC First (exclusively on OSN channel 215) at 1am late January 13/ early January 14, in line with the UK premiere, repeated at 9pm on January 16

'LEGEND' IS A term perhaps bandied around too easily in today's parlance when discussing those inhabiting the entertainment world, but occasionally it is justified. We believe the moniker should be reserved for actors, writers or directors who have delivered consistent hits through their career; not only films and shows popular in their day, but those that stand the test of time. In this regard British artist Jenny Agutter, in our opinion, is worthy of the label. Having shot to fame in both the TV and movie versions of the BBC's The Railway Children, followed by an iconic turn in 1971's Walkabout and an Emmy-winning performance in The Snow Goose the same year, Agutter has appeared in pictures including Logan's Run, An American Werewolf in London and, more recently, Marvel's The Avengers and Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
Agutter's latest televisual impact has been in the wildly popular Call The Midwife, appearing from the programme's 2012 debut as Sister Julienne. Regularly commanding UK audiences in the tens of millions, the show follows the goings-on in an East London nursing convent in the late '50s and '60s. An evolving post-war society in one of Europe's most diverse yet impoverished areas at the time mixed with the maternity hospital's somewhat traditional outlook has created a rich seam for poignant storytelling with the caring Julienne at its heart.
As the series enjoys its eighth season premiere on OSN's BBC First channel in the UAE, we spoke to Agutter about her role.
Who is Sister Julienne to you?
She's extraordinarily dedicated. She has great faith. She sees herself as serving the community and the people. Her life is about serving, which she enjoys. She enjoys people enormously. She gets pleasure out of the peculiarities of life. She's so unlike myself! She's very tolerant. She accepts things that happen and sorts them out, as opposed to me where I'll get terribly cross and want to change everything. That's more of a modern trait I possess. Her attitude is: "there are difficulties, let's do what we can with them." I feel there is a lot to be learned from her. The character is based on someone real called Sister Jocelyn who was based in Isleworth (London) at that time. I had the pleasure of meeting a niece of hers and she gave me all sorts of wonderful details. It's those little details that make Julienne so well-rounded. Wearing a nun's outfit all day and the same shoes I've had for eight years also make you feel very planted as an actor.
Do you believe Julienne's 'mend and make do' attitude of the day is something people miss and therefore a reason for the show's popularity?
There is an element of nostalgia people love. When we started the show it was set in 1958. Now we're in the Sixties and that was a period of huge change. Everything that was held back during the wars in Europe suddenly emerged. Science, technology and social attitudes took a huge leap. People love to look at a period of time that was the beginning of where we are today. However, some of the same problems that existed then still exist. That's what is clever about the writing. Women's issues, for example, which we are discussing right now, were an issue back then, so we can address them on the show and it feels relevant to contemporary conversations. Not every issue on the programme always ends well, but you feel the community of characters have the strength to get through it. That's very heartwarming and something Call The Midwife does very well.
What do you think the programme offers an international audience?
One's looking at a very particular area: Poplar. This is a place where people are not affluent, although Britain around them is becoming quite wealthy. Everyone in Poplar is from every culture, ethnicity and age and they have to integrate. I think people can relate to that wherever they are. Similar social structures can be found anywhere. I think people can relate to the family relationships, the midwives and the births because those elements are also universal.
Being a series regular from the start, did you know you were onto a winner from the beginning?
I had absolutely no idea. I had no clue it would reach the viewing figures it has. What I find even more extraordinary is I didn't know who it would be aimed at; what type of audience would be watching it. I'm completely overwhelmed because it's a programme people will talk to me about on the street and they are people of all ages from all walks of life. Nobody wants to talk about me as an actor, just Call The Midwife because it has touched them. I stopped a young man the other day to ask directions and he recognised me. He said he watches it all the time and it makes him cry.
How does the Call The Midwife recognition differ from your other work?
It's very particular and always about the programme. Having lived and worked in The States, there there's a lot of emphasis on the actor and the glamour aspects. In a way that's odd to me because it's fringing on what you're meant to be like. It's about the 'glamorous image'. Here it's nice to be just involved in a project where people are looking solely at the work. The Railway Children and Walkabout were a bit like that too. People often talk to me about the effect Walkabout had on them.
What has been your strangest Call The Midwife experience?
Playing a nun and then being asked to play a small role in two of the Marvel films. To be able to go off and get to beat up Robert Redford, that's such fun for a nun!
What are your hopes for the show?
Every year I always think it can't go on for much longer and then it does! Health care in England around the time we find ourselves in, in series eight, was already beginning to change. People were having more babies in hospitals, at home and having fewer babies in general so there may be a time where it comes to a head. It's difficult to answer. It could go on forever. You never know.
Catch Call The Midwife on OSN's BBC First (technically) on January 14 at 1am, or on the same channel on the 16th at 9pm. 
david@khaleejtimes.com