Why wasn't Call the Midwife on and when is the next episode?

"Why wasn't Call the Midwife on and when is it next on?" might be the question on your mind since episode 7 of season 13 moved in the schedule.

If you’ve only just discovered how to watch Call the Midwife then you’ve been missing out on 12 years of poignant stories and heart-warming moments. The latest season certainly hasn’t disappointed and it’s left us wondering everything from does Fred Buckle die in Call the Midwife to what’s going to happen to Nurse Trixie and her husband Matthew Aylward? This couple took a particularly key role in the events of episode 6 which aired on 11th February in the UK. However, fans will just have to wait to see what lies in store for them in episode 7 as Call the Midwife's next episode isn’t airing in its usual scheduling slot.

*Warning: Spoilers ahead*

Why wasn’t Call the Midwife on?

Call the Midwife sadly didn't air on 18th February in its usual scheduling slot of 8pm on Sundays on BBC One because it was rescheduled due to the BAFTA Film Awards 2024. The BAFTAs were broadcast on BBC One from 7pm-9pm, covering the hour-long slot that’s traditionally occupied by Call the Midwife. This means that fans will have to be patient before they get to enjoy Call the Midwife season 13 episode 7 and with the finale of the beloved drama edging ever closer this might prove to be a slightly challenging wait. 

When is Call the Midwife next on? 

After what happened in episode 6 it’s perhaps no surprise that many of us are eager to find out when the next episode of Call the Midwife is on and the answer is Sunday, 25th February. Unlike other shows like Silent Witness which had a recent episode rescheduled to the next night because of sporting fixtures, the next episode of Call the Midwife will air in the usual Sunday scheduling slot after being postponed because of the BAFTAs.

What happened in Call the Midwife season 13 episode 6? 

As all long-time fans of Call the Midwife will know, there isn’t one direct storyline running throughout a single season, but that doesn’t mean that there are certain plot threads that keep being woven in. Now we have many days to wait until episode 7 and Call the Midwife season 13 episode 6 featured a major turning point for Trixie and Matthew Aylward. There have been a few tense exchanges between the couple this season and in episode 6 Matthew finally admitted to Trixie that his finances weren’t what she believed them to be.

Call The Midwife: A True Story Of The East End In The 1950s by Jennifer Worth | Was £8.99, Now £5.75 at Amazon

The long-running BBC drama was inspired by the memoirs of Jennifer Worth (née Lee) who shared her fascinating experience working as a midwife in 1950s East London. She revealed more about the women she helped, the community of nuns and the sense of camaraderie of the midwives she trained with.

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It’s taken Matthew a while to come clean to his wife about his money troubles and it only happened after he got an urgent call from his mother Lady Aylward. She summoned him to a meeting with the Aylward Estates board and Matthew had no choice but to attend. 

This was made all the more excruciating for in-the-know fans as Trixie was blissfully unaware and excitedly waiting to pick up her new car later that day. Not wanting to dampen his wife’s joy (at this point at least) Matthew agreed to meet her so that he could be her first passenger.

Unfortunately, Matthew later learned that the total financial debt is now a "figure well in excess of £250,000" and that he's brought the company to the "brink of ruin". Despite insisting that he’d done all he could after he inherited the business, Matthew’s mother took action. He was not only struck off the board but was told that he was no longer going to receive a salary.  

Not knowing why her husband didn’t come to meet her to get her car (and why the car sale didn’t actually go through), Trixie was furious at Matthew and confronted him at home. Matthew told her the truth, prefacing it with the admission, "I kept hoping that I could make it right. That you’d never have to know."

When a devastated Matthew told her, "I'm out of a job. And I'm broke", Trixie showed her understanding nature when she told her husband gently, "No, we're broke." However, it didn't stop the midwife from also being upset and shocked when she learnt that they wouldn’t be moving into their new flat and that he only owns the lease on the one they currently live in. 

She tried to help later on in Call the Midwife season 13 episode 6 when she heard about an old family friend having a job opening but Matthew reacted angrily, hurt that now other people know about their money woes. 

After a major fight they eventually sat down to go through their accounts together by the end of Call the Midwife season 13 episode 6 and Trixie's voice shook as she asked Matthew to confirm that he had signed the deeds for Nonnatus House into the order's name. With her salary their only income the safety of Nonnatus House has never been more important, but Matthew only shook his head.

With so much uncertainty and challenges to overcome for the couple, there will no doubt still be some fans feeling a little apprehensive about Matthew and Trixie's marriage going into Call the Midwife season 13 episode 7. Trixie and Matthew’s storyline was the primary personal plot line for Call the Midwife season 13 episode 6. Alongside this, we also saw Rosalind and Joyce preparing for their exams in the latest episode.

They ended up receiving their results at the end and both passed and were absolutely delighted by the news after all their hard work. Elsewhere in the episode Cyril faced a challenge in his new job as a welfare officer as he is called after two boys are found. Their pregnant mother Deidre is found later and Cyril told her that she is allowed to raise her daughter and they’ll see how well she copes and she might be reunited with her sons too. 

Call the Midwife season 13 continues on Sunday, 25th February at 8pm on BBC One and episodes will be made available to watch on BBC iPlayer after broadcast.