Peter Davison: COVID made Call the Midwife filming less fun

Peter Davison has admitted that filming on the \'Call the Midwife\' Christmas special "wasn\'t as enjoyable" because of coronavirus restrictions - as he was prodded by a two metre stick if he got too close to his co-stars.

The former \'Doctor Who\' actor has joined the cast for the BBC period drama\'s upcoming festive story - which is set in December 1965 - as circus ringmaster Mr. Percival, and he has opened up on the way the coronavirus pandemic impacted life on set.

Appearing on \'This Morning\' on Tuesday (29.09.20), he said: "It wasn\'t as enjoyable as these things usually are because the conditions you\'re working in are so completely different.

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"It was a tremendous effort to get the thing on. Literally we had, for example, a two metre stick. The moment we were doing a scene with one of the other actors, they would prod the stick between us! "You had to work under those constraints. You couldn\'t take off the mask until you did a take. But it\'s an extraordinary achievement, I think, that we\'ve got a series up and running."

Filming for the show was disrupted by the global health crisis, but last month it was revealed the cast and crew had returned to work ahead of the upcoming 90-minute special.

Series creator Heidi Thomas previously said: "Everyone is overjoyed to be whisking the dust sheets off Nonnatus House and getting back to filming after lockdown.

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"It is a particular thrill to be able to deliver the Christmas Special on time, just as we promised at the start of the pandemic. We are very much a family at \'Call The Midwife\', and like families everywhere, we have missed each other.

"We will now be putting more love and energy into our work than ever and can\'t wait to share series 10 with our fantastic, loyal audience."