The good DOCTOR

STEPHEN MCGANN talks about the trials and tribulations ahead for Dr Patrick Turner

- WORDS: CAREN CLARK.

CALL THE MIDWIFE

SUNDAY, 8PM, BBC1 DRAMA

Over 14 years since Stephen McGann first picked up the stethoscope and trusty doctor's bag of Call the Midwife's empathetic Patrick Turner, the role remains one that he cherishes.

It's the most significant job that I've been privileged to do,' enthuses the actor, who has played the diligent medic since the first episode of the BBC1 favourite in 2012, as he joins TV Times for an exclusive chat. 'Call the Midwife is more than a drama - it affects viewers and provides a voice for the voiceless, and talks about women's lives and health. And it makes people feel better.'

As the 15th run continues against the backdrop of 1971, Dr Turner faces one of his toughest challenges yet when the newborn son of Pam Shields (Sophie Ford) and her estranged husband Kenny (Nicholas Armfield) is snatched from the maternity home.

The GP and his wife - caring nurse Shelagh (Laura Main) - are also concerned about Christopher Tang (Max Ho), the biological brother of their adopted daughter May (April Rae Hoang). The toddler is living with the Turners while undergoing chemotherapy for kidney cancer, but he is struggling with his treatment and being away from his Hong Kong home.

Here, Stephen, who turns 63 on 2 February and whose screenwriter wife Heidi Thomas created the show, tells us more...

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