On “Call the Midwife,” Jenny Agutter strongly portrays Sister Julienne, arguably Nonnatus House’s best voice of reason, calming influence and compassionate caregiver.

While many cast members have come and gone since the 2012 inception of “Call the Midwife,” Agutter has remained a consistent presence worth keeping your eyes and ears glued to.

“Sister Julienne in ‘Call the Midwife’ is lovely to play, partly because I was able to meet a niece of Sister Jocelyn, who was the person [author] Jennifer Worth had in mind when writing her [midwifery] memoirs,” said Agutter in an interview with Church Times. “Jocelyn’s niece gave me some excellent descriptions of her aunt. Also, my mother was looked after by a nun when she was at West­minster Hospital, and I remember her lovely cheerful personality.”

Agutter is also quite impressed by how strongly “Call the Midwife” is written. Penned by Heidi Thomas, this award-winning period drama has been unafraid to touch on both the beautiful and bewildering societal trends of yesteryear.

Thus, Agutter suggests there is something audiences can learn from the scripts Thomas is bringing to television – even if those lessons aren’t all pleasant.

“Heidi Thomas’s writing is so good, but it’s sad to see how the storylines show us all becoming more bigoted and self-absorbed as we move fur­ther from the war. The British need a crisis to be at their best. When they aren’t, they sink into inertia and a “What about me?” attitude,” offered Agutter. “I hope we’ve at least learnt enough not to become uncivilized again; for it’s possible for us to do great things and terrible things. It’s not down to government: it’s about individuals doing things, acceptance of each other, culture.”

-Adam Grant

Visit our Call the Midwife show page for the latest info on when this acclaimed, award winning series is airing on VisionTV.