As families across the UK settled in for a cozy Boxing Day, the television event that drew the most attention was the much-anticipated two-part Christmas special of Call the Midwife. This year, the beloved BBC period drama took a bold leap, transporting its cast from the familiar, frost-dusted streets of Poplar to the bustling, culturally rich city of Hong Kong. The result? A festive double-bill that sparked both emotional highs and a wave of critical discussion about cultural sensitivity and narrative balance.
The first part of the special aired on Christmas Day, setting the stage for a dramatic new chapter in the show’s long-running history. For only the second time ever, Call the Midwife uprooted its holiday narrative from London, sending several of its central characters halfway around the world. According to Digital Spy, this year’s special was a response to catastrophe: a massive landslide had caused the collapse of the Nonnatus branch house in Hong Kong, resulting in fatal injuries and leaving many pregnant women, mothers, and children displaced. With little hesitation, Sister Julienne (Jenny Agutter), Fred (Cliff Parisi), Violet (Annabelle Apsion), and other members of the Nonnatus team packed up medical supplies and set out to help their sister clinic in crisis.
The setup, on paper, seemed ripe for the kind of heartfelt drama that Call the Midwife is known for. The show has a track record of handling complex cultural exchanges with care, as seen in its previous Christmas specials set in South Africa and the Scottish Outer Hebrides. There, the Poplar team’s encounters with local customs and challenges led to moments of humility, growth, and genuine exchange. This time, however, critics argue that the execution missed the mark.
One early moment, as highlighted by Digital Spy, set an uneasy tone. When Fred questions Sister Julienne’s decision to write the address for their aid package in English, she replies, "Hong Kong is a British colony. I’m quite sure everyone is competent in our mother tongue." The line, likely intended for the audience, lands with a dismissive edge, foreshadowing the cultural missteps to come. It’s a small exchange, but it plants a seed of discomfort that only grows as the story unfolds.
Upon arrival in Hong Kong, the Nonnatus team is quickly swept up in the chaos. Their mission is complicated not only by the aftermath of the landslide but also by the presence of a violent local Triad gang. The nuns and nurses find themselves negotiating for property and safety, sometimes with little regard for the local voices around them. The episode’s central tension revolves around the Turners—Shelagh (Laura Main) and Dr. Patrick Turner (Stephen McGann)—who discover that their adoptive daughter’s birth mother, Esther Tang (Yennis Cheung), has become entangled with the Triad. Esther has borne two children with the gang’s leader, known as The Cormorant, including a newborn daughter whom she is forced to abandon. Fearing for her son Christopher’s safety, she goes into hiding, prompting the Turners to risk their own safety in an attempt to help her.
The drama escalates when Patrick and Fred are kidnapped by the Triad leader. In a tense negotiation, Patrick promises to return Christopher to the gang after he receives life-saving surgery in the UK—a promise he has no real authority to make. These moments are packed with suspense and emotion, but they also highlight what many saw as the episode’s biggest flaw: a persistent imbalance of power and cultural insensitivity.
Reviewers, including those at Good Housekeeping, noted that while the Nonnatus team’s intentions were noble, their approach often felt paternalistic. The characters frequently charged into situations as if they alone knew what was best, rarely pausing to listen to or learn from their Hong Kong counterparts. Mrs Ma (Patra Au), introduced as a local guide and potential counterbalance, is given little narrative weight; her concerns are repeatedly overshadowed by the Nonnatus team’s determination to "do good."
This dynamic reached its most problematic in the handling of Esther’s storyline. Her suffering—already well-established in previous episodes—was compounded, only for her to be "rescued" by the Turners once again. This, critics argue, not only perpetuated the "white saviour" trope but also denied the local characters agency and depth. As Digital Spy put it, "Esther being brought back to the show to experience more suffering, only to be saved by the Turners and indebted to them once again is not only unnecessarily harsh but also compounds the imbalance of power."
That’s not to say the special was without its redeeming moments. Phyllis (Linda Bassett) formed a sincere and touching bond with Yue Chan (Ocean On), a young pregnant mother caught up in the aftermath of the disaster. Back in Poplar, the show found its signature warmth in the subplot featuring Sister Monica Jones (Judy Parfitt), who provided comfort and companionship to an elderly man in his final days, reaffirming the series’ longstanding message that age does not diminish value.
Despite these highlights, the overarching criticism remained: the special failed to offer a meaningful cultural exchange. Unlike previous excursions, where the Poplar team left changed by their experiences, this year’s Christmas episodes felt one-sided. The local characters were too often depicted as victims, with little opportunity to display resilience, joy, or complexity beyond their suffering.
Outside of the drama, the special was a centerpiece in a packed Boxing Day television lineup. According to the Evening Standard, viewers could also indulge in new episodes of Stranger Things, festive panel shows like Would I Lie to You?, and the always-comforting The Repair Shop. But it was Call the Midwife—airing its second part on BBC One at 8:30 pm—that drew the most discussion, both for its ambitious scope and its missteps.
For longtime fans, the 2025 Christmas special was a reminder of the show’s strengths and its occasional blind spots. While the Nonnatus team’s compassion and resolve were as strong as ever, the narrative’s failure to fully embrace the complexities of its Hong Kong setting left some viewers wishing for a more balanced, culturally sensitive approach. Still, moments of genuine connection and care shone through, offering a bittersweet holiday viewing experience that will linger in the minds of many as the year draws to a close.
