Call the Midwife and Mission: Impossible probably aren't two things you'd normally associate too closely with one another.

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But, according to Sister Catherine star Molly Vevers, filming one sequence from the beloved period drama's upcoming Christmas specials felt just like something out of the Tom Cruise action franchise.

In a post shared on the official Call the Midwife Instagram account, it was detailed that the special will include a big scene set at the Poplar Christmas parade – which was apparently a major undertaking to film.

Not only did it involve the use of numerous floats, costumes and lots of fake snow, but there was also a stunt coordinator on set to help with some of the trickier moments.

"I loved filming the Christmas parade," Vevers said. "It was so much fun. Renee [Bailey], Natalie [Quarry] and I were all angels on the float, and we had to have a stunt coordinator because it was technically a stunt! We were tied to the float with these invisible ropes so that we could do sort of Angel acting. It felt like Mission: Impossible!"

Meanwhile, Trixie star Helen George seemed to especially love the "incredible costumes" designed by the show's Head of Costume, Justine Luxton – even going so far to say it was her favourite thing she's worn in the entire show.

"I wear an angel costume," she said. "It’s probably the favourite costume I've ever worn. It's got a 1970s twist. It’s a beautiful white coat with a fur trim and angel wings coming out of the back, and then these really cool glittery stars.'

She added: "For me, it was a lot of fun dressing up. This is probably one of the most Christmassy Christmas specials we've ever done!"

The Instagram post also included a series of behind-the-scenes snaps from the episodes – and it certainly does look like fans are in for a fabulous festive treat.

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George recently spoke with Radio Times to preview the Christmas specials and discuss what's going on with Trixie and Matthew, explaining that "things feel more stable than they possibly ever have" between the pair.

As with last year, we'll be getting not one but two Call the Midwife specials, and back in September the cast revealed how it would see the drama head into "completely new territory."

"It's absolutely new ground," said Shelagh Turner star Laura Main.

Meanwhile, Patrick Turner star Stephen McGann teased that fans can look forward to some especially humorous moments.

"[There's] one Christmas special that really makes me laugh," he said. "There are bits of the Christmas special – there's real drama, as always – but there's also a wonderful thing that happens, which I'm not going to tell you, but actually they are brilliant."

We'd expect nothing less!

Call the Midwife will return to BBC One and BBC iPlayer this Christmas.

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Authors

Patrick Cremona, RadioTimes.com's senior film writer looking at the camera and smiling
Patrick CremonaSenior Film Writer

Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.

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