2023 Holiday Special

Premiere date: December 25, 2023
Sister Monica Joan is convinced this could be her last Yuletide and decides she’ll not live to see man walk on the moon. The Nonnatus Family decide something must be done to try and lighten her state of mind.

Watch Favorite Moments

Sister Monica Joan: This is My Last Christmas
Despite the excitement of the Christmas festivities and the impending Apollo 8 mission, Sister Monica Joan confides in Sister Julienne and Sister Veronica that this next Christmas will be her last one on Earth.
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Sister Monica Joan: This is My Last Christmas
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Sister Monica Joan: This is My Last Christmas
2m 1s
Despite the excitement of the Christmas festivities and the impending Apollo 8 mission, Sister Monica Joan confides in Sis
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A Tortoise in the Clinic?
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A Tortoise in the Clinic?
35s
Timothy asks Miss Higgins to help hide a live Christmas present in the clinic.
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A Plan to Cheer Up Sister Monica Joan
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A Plan to Cheer Up Sister Monica Joan
1m 41s
After learning from Dr. Turner that Sister Monica Joan is suffering from depression, Sister Julienne and Sister Veronica r
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Turners Need a Christmas Miracle
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Turners Need a Christmas Miracle
44s
Has the Christmas tortoise died... or just gotten too cold?
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About this Episode

The Holiday Special begins two weeks before Christmas with Apollo 8 poised to circle the moon. Sister Monica Joan (Judy Parfitt) is convinced this could be her last Yuletide and decides she’ll not live to see man walk on the moon. The Nonnatus Family, including Trixie’s (Helen George) brother Geoffrey (Christopher Harper), decide something must be done to try and lighten her state of mind. Nancy (Megan Cusack) has recommitted to staying at Nonnatus House and Sister Julienne (Jenny Agutter) has offered her and Colette (Francesca Fullilove) a room for the foreseeable future. 

Trixie and Matthew (Olly Rix), fresh from their honeymoon, are preparing their first Christmas together as husband and wife when Geoffrey pays them an unexpected visit days before Christmas. Cyril (Zephryn Taitte) gently intervenes when he discovers a lost soul living alone in a dilapidated basement flat. For this man, Christmas is a reminder of all he’s lost and all he’s never had. Nurse Crane (Linda Bassett), away on her refresher course, makes it home in time for Christmas festivities despite a treacherously heavy snowfall.

Photos from the 2023 Holiday Special