Jenny Agutter shares major BBC Call the Midwife filming challenge after ditching UK for Hong Kong: 'Was fighting it'

But according to Ms Agutter, the dramatic change in environment brought challenges she “didn’t expect”.

Speaking to the BBC about the production's relocation, the actress said working in Hong Kong’s intense heat and bustling atmosphere was a major adjustment, particularly after spending more than a decade filming in carefully controlled UK sets and locations.

“It was incredibly hot and humid, and I found I was fighting it,” Ms Agutter admitted.

“We’re used to filming in London where, even if it’s busy, you have some degree of control. But in Hong Kong, life goes on around you, noise, people, movement, humidity, everything is happening at once.”

The actress, who has played Sister Julienne since the series began in 2012, explained that the cast had to adapt their performance styles to accommodate the chaotic backdrop.

“You can’t pretend the world isn’t happening around you,” she said. “You have to work with it, not against it.”

Ms Agutter described moments where the tropical heat became so intense that crew members struggled to keep costumes intact between takes.

“The wimples and veils were wilting within minutes. We’d be ready to shoot, and suddenly everything was sticking or falling out of place,” she joked.

Despite the challenges, the actress said the trip offered a remarkable opportunity to expand the world of Call the Midwife beyond Poplar, giving viewers a fresh, emotional storyline rooted in the show’s signature compassion.

“It opens up the series in a way we haven’t seen before,” she said.

“There’s something very moving about taking these characters, with all their traditions, routines, and quiet ways of working, and placing them somewhere entirely unfamiliar. It tests them.”

Producers say the Hong Kong storyline is inspired by real midwifery missions of the mid-20th century, during which British nurses travelled to assist overcrowded hospitals and refugee communities.

Ms Agutter said those historical foundations made the episodes particularly powerful to film.

“You’re reminded that these women really did step into the unknown and worked in conditions far tougher than anything we experience recreating it,” she noted. “There’s a deep respect for that.”

The Sister Julienne actress also confirmed that, despite rumours in previous years, she has no plans to step away from Call the Midwife just yet.

“As long as the writing continues to be this good, and the audience continues to love Sister Julienne, I’m happy to carry on,” she said.

Returning cast members for the upcoming series include Helen George, Leonie Elliott, Linda Bassett, and Judy Parfitt, with producers teasing “one of the most emotionally charged finales the show has ever delivered”.

Ms Agutter revealed that while the Hong Kong chapters tested the cast physically, the script demanded even more emotionally.

“There are moments that will shock people,” she teased. “It’s a reminder of how vulnerable communities were at the time, and still are.”

After finally adjusting to the foreign environment, Ms Agutter said she can now look back fondly on the experience, despite her early discomfort.

“By the end, I felt so grateful for it. The city became part of the story in a way that nothing else could have matched. But yes, at first, I was absolutely fighting it.”