When Megan Cusack confirmed her exit from Call the Midwife in early 2025 after four years on the show, the inevitability of Nancy’s departure did little to soften the disappointment felt by fans, who were sad to see her go.
The vivacious midwife, who brought so much warmth, laughter and joy to Nonnatus House, would be greatly missed as she left to take up a new job that would also allow her to be closer to her husband, with whom she had just welcomed a baby.
And naturally, Nancy’s exit marked a new chapter for Cusack, who confirmed at the time that she was ready to step outside her “comfort zone to grow”.
“I’ve learnt so much, but I’m at the start of my career and I need to take a leap of faith,” she told Radio Times.
But the decision wasn’t easy, as Cusack recently explained to Radio Times.
“I made the choice because I wanted to try and get into theatre again, but it doesn’t mean that it wasn’t heartbreaking not being there [anymore],” she said.
She added that she’s remained close with a number of her former co-stars.
“Georgie Glen [Miss Higgins] and Linda Bassett [Nurse Crane] and Rebecca [Gethings, who plays Sister Veronica] and Annabelle [Apsion, who plays Violet Buckle] all came to see me in the show that I’m doing, which was gorgeous, and [I] keep in contact with people as much as possible,” she said.
“But it is a mad kind of change. We film for seven months of the year so you end up seeing those people more than your own family, more than your partners… you do start to feel like it’s a home. I bawled my eyes out on my last day. I was absolutely devastated, but the nice thing was knowing that it wasn’t the last time I was seeing people.
“It’s just, yeah, a change in work life.”
But just one season on from Cusack’s departure, it’ll be some time before the rest of the cast return to set.
Typically, there would be a Christmas special to look forward to ahead of new episodes arriving in early 2027, but a traditional festive instalment isn’t on the cards this year.
“There won’t be a Christmas special… not in the traditional mould,” creator Heidi Thomas previously revealed.
Instead, a three-part prequel series, set during the Blitz, will take its place, as announced by executive producer Pippa Harris, although the BBC has yet to officially confirm that.
That will then be followed by the movie, set overseas in 1972, which will feature members of the current cast – although the names involved have yet to be revealed – before the series finally returns for season 16.
“It was quite a profound moment,” said Thomas of filming season 15’s finale, “because we’re parting company for a while, but we also got to look back down from the top of the mountain and think, ‘What a long way we’ve climbed.'”
Add Radio Times as a Preferred Source on Google
Keep up to date on what’s worth watching with your favourite entertainment news from Radio Times – see more of our exclusive news and interviews featured prominently in Top Stories when using Google.
But what can fans expect from season 16?
“We’ll come back slightly recalibrated,” Thomas said. “Changes will have taken place, but the change itself is not destructive. It’s nourishing.”
She went on to reveal that she’s “exploring the notion of a community hospital”.
“They were big in the ’70s and I was familiar with one in urban Liverpool; you would go there to see the GP or have your X-ray. By the end of the 1980s, they’d been phased out but they’re bringing them back now because it’s a model that works.
“So, we’ll see.”
Add Call the Midwife to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more.
Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
