“And there are people here, but they’re not alive,” Cliff Parisi, who plays Fred Buckle in Call the Midwife, said in a Halloween video exclusive filmed with other cast members.
Hello! included the video in an article titled, “Call the Midwife star Helen George reveals disturbing experiences while filming hit show.” It was their way of having some cheeky seasonal fun (at Halloween time) while also ramping up the excitement for fans about the forthcoming Christmas special. (Which has now since aired.)
Haunts within Call the Midwife
Nonnatus House
The video begins with Helen George (who plays Trixie) revealing the history of the house (presumably Nonnatus House), claiming it was built on a Druid burial ground.
“Barrow is the word for it, isn’t it?” Rebeccas Gethings (Sister Veronica) says.
But since Nonnatus House doesn’t really exist (it’s filmed on a soundstage), I’m thinking she may just be creating a narrative for the house in the show.
Later in the video, Parisi says, “I’ve offered to sleep in the house. For money. But no one’s offered me any money to do it.”
“We’re waiting for someone to pay us so we will stay overnight,” George laughs.
“We’ll give the money to some kind of charity,” Parisi adds before saying, “Yeah. It’s very spooky. I wouldn’t want to be walking around here on my own.”
The Surgery
Cameras follow Gethings and Zephyrn Taitte (Cyril Robinson) onto the set of Dr. Turner’s surgery, where they explain how one of the crew’s medics had an experience there.
“In that room there,” Gethings says, gesturing to a dark room beyond, “so Dr. Turner’s office, if you go deep in, they took a photo, which if you zoom in, is possibly an Edwardian woman holding, I think it looks like a piglet, but it could be a Jack Russell.” This causes a lot of chuckles from Taitte.
Ghost Stories
Later on, George says, “There are so many ghost stories” before sharing her favorite. It involved an episode that featured a circus.
“One of the supporting artists was a strongman,” she said. “He went to go and get his own clothes at the end of the day. And he came out white and shaking because he’d seen the figure of a man dressed in military uniform. And all the doors had started slamming and the lights going on and off.”
Ghosts in Plain Sight
Several years back, I went hunting for ghosts (virtually) on the Call the Midwife set. I’d always wondered if they had any ghosts on set, particularly in Nonnatus House. The series always refers to the problems with the very ancient building, and it’s in London, so it stood to reason ghosts may roam there.
However, I also figured those scenes were likely filmed on a soundstage, which they are. (But you can take a Call the Midwife tour, which I’ll talk about below.)
Anyway, the ghosts I found previously came about after some of the cast made a hubbub about Amhuinnsuidhe Castle, a haunted castle they stayed in while filming on location in Scotland for a Christmas special.
In addition to the castle, I found three other haunts that were featured in that episode: a lighthouse, a church, and a group of standing stones. Not all had ghost stories, per se, but they did have some kind of weird or spooky backstory. (Learn about them by checking out “The 4 Scottish Haunts in the Call the Midwife 2019 Christmas Special.”)
But thanks to last year’s revelations by the cast, now I know there really are ghost stories to be found closer to home on the Call the Midwife set.
The Call the Midwife Tour
While Nonnatus house scenes are filmed on a closed set, many of the show’s exterior scenes are filmed at the Chatham Dockyard, or just the Dockyard as it’s known. This is used to bring Poplar to life. (It’s also played a part in many other BBC productions.)
Brit Movie Tours offers a Call the Midwife Tour where fans can see sites “such as the Lisbon Buildings, the exterior of The London hospital, Thames dockside scenes, the entrance to Doctor Turner’s surgery and much more.”
But you don’t have to be a fan of the show to appreciate —or even tour— the Dockyard in Kent. It’s a destination all of its own. And it is rumored to have many ghosts, especially the Commissioner’s House. It was even featured as a location investigated on a 2004 episode of Most Haunted.
Check-In
Which non-spooky shows do you love that you secretly hope have ghosts on set?
Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, and obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. (Yes, really! As explained here.) That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.
Speaking of mystical, to learn how Courtney channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.
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Call the Midwife is such a good show! I wonder if the Roots miniseries had any hauntings because the emotions of the actors were sky high.
Ahhhh!!!!! I love that you watch Call the Midwife, too, Priscilla!!! It really is such a good show. It never fails to warm my heart, shed a tear, and feel like I’ve just caught up with dear friends. I’m absolutely over the moon for it!
And your suggestion about Roots…oh me. That’s a really good one to wonder about. I often marvel how actors can get through such heady material like that. And maybe in cases like that does it trigger any paranormal activity? Love where your mind went with that. As always, sure appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment. Happy New Year, btw!!!!