Call the Midwife star Judy Parfitt says show isn’t ‘woke’ enough for Bafta voters

Actor expressed frustration that long-running period drama has been largely snubbed by Bafta

Call the Midwife star Judy Parfitt has suggested that Bafta voters don’t find the show “woke” enough to vote for it.

The BBC period drama revolves around a group of midwives working in East London during the Fifties and Sixties. Miranda Hart, Pam Ferris and Jessica Raine are among the actors who have starred in the series.

Despite running since 2012, however, Call the Midwife has been nominated for just six television Baftas, including Best Supporting Actress for Hart in 2012. It has received no nominations since 2013.

Parfitt, who has played Sister Monica Joan on the series since its beginning, has now suggested that voters have deliberately excluded the series to appear “woke”.

Speaking to Radio Times, Parfitt denied that the series was “cosy”.

“I’d never call it that,” she replied. “We’ve dealt with incest, thalidomide – everything you can think of. But what’s interesting is that you don’t see it nominated for Baftas. People want to be ‘woke’ and feel that they can’t nominate Call the Midwife.”

The big winners at last year’s television Baftas included Netflix’s The End of the F***ing World, which won Best Drama, and Stath Lets Flats, which won Best Scripted Comedy.

Other series to receive multiple wins and nominations included the acclaimed mini-series Chernobyl and Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag.