Is Trixie leaving Call the Midwife, is she still with Matthew and is Olly Rix coming back?

"Is Trixie leaving Call the Midwife?" is a question that many of us are likely still asking ourselves after she made an enlightening phone call in the season 13 finale.

The latest season of the BBC drama has now drawn to a particularly heart-warming close and if you haven’t discovered how to watch Call the Midwife yet you’ve missed out on some intensely emotional storylines. The couple at the very centre of one of these was, of course, Trixie and Matthew Aylward (Helen George and Olly Rix). They might only have tied the knot last season but their marriage took a turn for the worse as financial troubles escalated out of control. 

This eventually led to the departure of Matthew for New York in episode 7, leaving Trixie behind with the choice to follow him - or not. Following on from this in episode 8 we finally got what appears to be an answer about Trixie’s future on the show and here’s all we know about if she’s leaving and whether Olly Rix could return.

*Warning: Spoilers ahead*

Is Trixie leaving Call the Midwife? 

Trixie hasn't left Call the Midwife yet, but she could potentially leave in season 14. At least, she might if she follows through on her promise to Matthew in the season 13 finale and heads to New York. Thanks to the arrival of Trixie’s brother in Call the Midwife's latest episode, she was persuaded that instead of running away from love out of fear, she should run “towards” her husband Matthew. 

Following this heart-to-heart with Geoffrey, Trixie called Matthew in New York and he shared how much he was missing her and wished she was there with him. She responded simply, “I will be soon. I’m coming out to join you.”

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Delighted, but clearly shocked, Matthew laughed and promised his wife that the move wouldn’t have to be forever. So whilst she remained in Poplar at the end of the finale, her desire to join Matthew means that it’s at least a possibility that Trixie will leave Call the Midwife in season 14 at some point. However, it’s not necessarily set in stone as Trixie could always change her mind about going to New York in another season of Call the Midwife. Alternatively, Trixie could leave but continue to appear in some episodes in a recurring role. 

Ultimately, it's at least technically possible (though it would be heart-wrenching to watch) that Helen George could leave Call the Midwife as Trixie at some point in the show’s future. The show has been renewed until season 15 already so fans will have to wait and see if Trixie Aylward remains a beloved regular character until then. 

Are Trixie and Matthew still together in Call the Midwife?

Matthew, played brilliantly by Olly Rix since 2021, left Call the Midwife in episode 7 of season 13, though he and Trixie are still together. He and his son Jonty went to New York for a fresh start after he was forced to fess up to Trixie about his financial situation. Matthew was sacked from the Aylward Estates board in episode 6 after his actions left the family company in debt in excess of £250,000 and he was stripped of his salary at the same time. 

After keeping the truth from Trixie for so long, he finally admitted his money troubles to her and broke the news that they couldn’t move into their new Barbican flat, she couldn’t have her new car and they were utterly dependent on her own salary. Humiliated and feeling like a failure, Matthew viewed a move to New York as a way to start again after he bought warehouses there from his friend Chester. 

He put in his own money and said that if he and Chester join forces he could get a return on his investment within 5 years. He made the decision without consulting Trixie - who was understandably upset.

“I want to rebuild where we are, where we belong,” she told her husband, who replied flatly, “Well, that’s not going to be possible.”

“Oh, you’ve decided that independently have you? Act now and tell the little woman later?” Trixie retorted.

Matthew wouldn’t be swayed and said that he and Jonty were going, although he appreciated that if Trixie needed time to think about it that wasn’t “unreasonable”. He implored her to remember that she loved New York when they were last there, to which she said that she loved it because it had been their honeymoon and she would’ve loved Skegness if they’d gone there instead, because it wasn’t the glamour that she loved but being with him.

This conversation didn’t get them any closer to agreeing and an anxious Trixie refused to lie down in bed that night. Despite Matthew assuring her that him going to New York didn’t change anything, that they were still married and still had a future together, she said she wasn’t so sure.

We next had the heart-breaking experience of watching Trixie say goodbye to her stepson Jonty as he and Matthew prepared to leave the flat and board the plane to New York. Matthew begged his wife to “please come” to the US, adding that she could come tomorrow if she wanted.

“If you haven’t decided what you want, I won’t force things,” Matthew said to her, leaving Trixie tearful and with a lot to consider. By the end of the Call the Midwife season 13 finale, it seemed like she'd finally made her decision and we might well see husband and wife reunite in season 14 if Trixie flies out to America.

Is Olly Rix coming back to Call the Midwife? 

We don't know right now if Olly Rix’s departure from Call the Midwife as Matthew Alyward is permanent, but according to RadioTimes.com, the door is supposedly being left open for Olly to potentially return to the BBC show at some point. This certainly fits with Matthew and Trixie’s phone call in the finale. He reiterated to her that the move to New York didn't have to be forever, suggesting there's at least the potential that Matthew could come back to London at some point.

Initially, Matthew’s trip to New York is just for 3-4 months and will only be extended if things go well, so it doesn’t seem like a permanent move is definitely happening right now. Even if Olly Rix's departure isn't permanent, it was still tough watching Matthew and Trixie say goodbye in episode 7 and Olly Rix and Helen George found their final scenes together in Call the Midwife challenging to film due to the emotional intensity of them.

Olly said it was "something we found quite emotionally exhausting to do", whilst Helen said the scenes were “hard, really hard to work on.”

“We have this set of Matthew's flat, Matthew and Trixie’s flat, which is quite a small set. And we're just in these four walls, and often our scenes would be programmed to be filmed in one day, so there's a sort of pressure on the finality of it all, as well,” she explained.

Call the Midwife seasons 1-13 can be watched now via BBC iPlayer.