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‘Call The Midwife’ Fans Are Devastated As A Fan Favorite Dies Suddenly

By Amy Feinstein
Published on: 08:58 PST, Mar 5, 2018

**SPOILER AHEAD** A major plotline is revealed ahead.

Call The Midwife fans were rocked last night when a fan favorite was at first clinging to life, and then passed away suddenly. Twitter was rocked when the Call The Midwife loyal talked about their shock at the sudden death of Nurse Barbara (Charlotte Ritchie) from bacterial meningitis. Barbara and her husband, Tom, the vicar, had just returned to Call The Midwife from a sabbatical, and now Barbara is gone, leaving fans bereft.

The current season of Call The Midwife is seeing a number of comings and goings, and Barbara and Tom returning to Poplar was a bit of a surprise. As a vicar, Tom was posted elsewhere, and Barbara went with him, but the two returned recently to make a life back in London.

Call The Midwife Fans Did Not See The Death Of Nurse Barbara Coming

Actor Charlotte Ritchie (Barbara) teased that fans would see the couple again.

“He has this opportunity to take a different job and discover a new parish, and I think it’s a great opportunity for him, and we know it’s possibly only temporary. So it’s a new adventure for us.”

Also leaving the cast, but temporarily, is Helen George (Trixie) who left the cast for maternity leave, but her character is seeking treatment for alcoholism.

“There’s also just the ongoing struggle of alcoholism, the everyday struggle, the trying to resist it even when you’re knackered and you’re having a really hard time at work, not reaching for a drink at the end of the day.”

Fans of Call The Midwife were taken on a serious emotional rollercoaster last night as Nurse Barbara was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis, seemed to be rallying as she came out of a coma, only to get septic and die while Tom cried at her bedside, says Huffington Post. Fans were shocked at the departure of Charlotte Ritchie (Nurse Barbara) because the Call The Midwife showrunners did not mention that Ritchie was quitting the popular series.

Charlotte Ritchie (Nurse Barbara) On Call The Midwife Thanked Her Fans

Ritchie thanked her fans and co-workers as she departed.

“Thanks to everyone for your lovely lovely messages,” Charlotte wrote. “I will miss CTM more than I can possibly say.”

Ritchie joined Call The Midwife in 2015 and reportedly left the series to pursue new and different work.

Charlotte Ritchie explained to the Mirror that she feared getting too comfortable on Call The Midwife. She explained that after four years it was time to move on.

‘Barbara’s had such a good journey, this feels like a good time to go before I become too complacent. That was my biggest fear – of getting so comfortable that I was taking the job for granted.”

Ritchie explains there were no negative reasons behind her departure from Call The Midwife.

Call The Midwife Fans Exploded On Twitter

The Call The Midwife fans reacted on Twitter with feelings that ranged from sorrow to anger. Some fans were traumatized by the death of Nurse Barbara.

“Seriously I’m traumatized how dare they “

Others were touched by the level of feelings demonstrated in the episode.

“Just watched last nights episode of Oh dear me left me in floods, my heart was breaking for Tom. Thought it couldn’t get any more emotional, then came Amazing Grace, beautiful.”

Call The Midwife is often a tear-jerker, as it examines a poor area of London in the sixties, but some fans were saying that Barbara dying went beyond the normal feels.

“Sobbing my heart out at last night’s I have to mentally prepare myself before each episode at the best of times. That was too much.”

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