Charlotte Ritchie says we’ll have to wait for a Call The Midwife wedding
Barbara and Tom are intending to tie the knot, but there's work to be done in series six first
The Call The Midwife Christmas Special was a suitably dramatic and heartbreaking affair but amid the sickness and sadness Barbara and Tom brought some festive cheer as the pair became engaged on their trip to South Africa.
But actress Charlotte Ritchie is staying tight lipped about how long it will take the pair to actually say I do.
“There’s a fair bit about them being engaged [in series 6] but what’s nice is that there are other things at the forefront of their minds” Ritchie explains.
“They’re sweet and they’re together but it’s not their priority in this series. It’s a lovely way of getting engaged but it’s more of an affirmation of their love rather than it being a rush to get married.”
That doesn’t mean Barbara isn’t delighted about the idea of getting hitched though. In fact, Ritchie says the nurse is “just so pleased” to be tying the grass knot with Tom.
“They’re a very sweet match. It felt quite a natural thing. It didn’t feel very dramatic. It was just lovely and sweet. And I loved the blade of grass – it’s very low-key and very Tom. “
The actress says we can expect “quite a long engagement”, adding that the pair will have conversations about the etiquette of getting married and how it might impact on their lives.
“She says a line later on: ‘Babies don’t start being born just because somebody is getting married.’ The focus of the show is always going to be that and their job”, Richie explains.
She can’t say if we’ll have a wedding to watch by the end of the series but she can confirm Barbara will get a proper ring.
“She does get a ring in the end in a very interesting way. It’s lovely.”
And as for Tom’s former fiancé, Trixie, rocking the boat? Ritchie doesn’t think it’ll happen.
“That little scene by the beach [in the Christmas special] is so well pitched. I thought that was so beautiful. So I think that’s her blessing.”
Call The Midwife returns to BBC1 in 2017