Filming the latest series of BBC’s beloved drama “Call the Midwife” took an unexpected turn for actor Cliff Parisi, who encountered a serious health scare while on set.
Set in Poplar, East London, the latest episode of series 13 sees the midwives and fan favourites venture out of the city for a seaside trip. However, the filming conditions quickly became challenging when freezing temperatures led to the crew experiencing hypothermia-like symptoms.
Parisi, who portrays Fred Buckle in the series, recounted the ordeal, stating, “Everything was going sideways. The wind was unbelievable, it was so cold. I was wearing a shirt with a hanky on my head. I managed to keep the hanky the whole time – but I got hypothermia in the end.”
The adverse conditions forced Parisi to be taken off-set to warm up, unable to continue filming. Fortunately, he and the affected crew members were Met Police is again preparing to provide a quick and effective response to Just Stop Oil activists, who are planning more disruptive activity in London from 28 November to 14 December" target="_blank" rel="noopener">quickly provided with foil blankets to warm up.
Despite the health scare, Parisi reflected on the experience with humour, describing the chaotic scene on set. “It was a laugh, but it was difficult to film, things were flying all over the place. Hair and make-up gave up and ran for cover. One of the crew did as well, we had two cameras then we had one. There was sand in everything.”
Annabelle Apsion, who portrays Parisi’s on-screen wife Violet, echoed his sentiments, describing the challenging filming conditions as a “nightmare for continuity.” She added, “The weather had been fantastic just before we shot and was again just after we shot. But while we were there it could not have been worse. It was hysterical.”
Despite the weather challenges, “Call the Midwife” continues to captivate audiences and airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Sunday evenings at 8pm.
