Why I had to quit Call the Midwife
Charlotte Ritchie on why she quit as she’s bumped off in BBC show
WITH Call the Midwife fans still reeling from Barbara’s shock death last night, actress Charlotte Ritchie described filming her exit scenes as an “existential crisis”.
The 28-year-old said she agonised over her decision to quit the hit drama but feared she would become complacent.
Nurse Barbara Hereward was shown dying of septicaemia caused by meningitis, with best pal Phyllis Crane and her curate husband, Tom, by her side – played by Linda Bassett and Jack Ashton.
Calling time on four years in the role, she said: “Barbara’s had such a good journey, this feels like a good time to go before I become too complacent. “That was my biggest fear – of getting so comfortable that I was taking the job for granted.
“I love the show, I love everyone I work with – there’s no negative reason behind why I’m going.” The actress, who previ- ously starred in comedies Fresh Meat and Siblings, is now seeking new challenges.
She said: “I’ve been locked in to three different shows for about five years, which is so lucky and amazing. But there was a possibility I could try new things and I thought, when will be the right time?”
Charlotte said filming Barbara’s death had a lasting effect on her: “You’re representing the trauma that people have gone through. I’m not actually dying, but it doesn’t stop me from having the thoughts – what would it be like? It was strange. I did have a sort of existential crisis.”
Writer Heidi Thomas decided to give Barbara the show’s most memorable exit in its seven-year history. She said: “The show has never been one for pretending that the world is somehow rose-tinted.
“I think to have a character go through this and not survive at such a young age is really mirroring what life is really like.”
The series ends next Sunday with Barbara’s funeral. But will this be the death of Charlotte’s career? It’s unlikely, but she laughs: “Next year, you could have me coming back as Barbara’s identical twin sister and marrying the vicar.”
Now’s a good time to go – before I get complacent and take the job for granted CHARLOTTE RITCHIE ON LEAVING CALL THE MIDWIFE