Jessica Raine left BBC's Call the Midwife after Season 3, and her character was written off of the show moving forward, leaving many fans questioning why the actress decided to leave the show.
The first 12 seasons of Call the Midwife were recently added to the Netflix library, meaning that a huge pool of people are getting the opportunity to witness the British drama for the first time.
The show follows a group of midwives living in East London as they navigate their lives and jobs in the 1950s and '60s. The previous season (Season 13) was released earlier in 2024, and Season 14 was recently announced to be airing in 2025.
What Happened to Jenny Lee in Call the Midwife?
Jessica Raine's Jenny Lee (based on a real-life person named Jennifer Worth, the author of the Call the Midwife memoirs) was the main antagonist of Call the Midwife Seasons 1-3, so her departure from the show at the end of Season 3 came as a bit of a shock to many.
In her three seasons on the show, Jenny had to endure a lot. For example, she was forced to deliver a baby with spinal bifida, worked at an extremely short-staffed hospital, and had to help another character with an abusive husband.
However, it was her experiences in Season 3 that caused her to change careers and eventually be written off the show.
One of Jenny's main tasks in Season 3 was to care for Chummy's dying mother around the clock. Although it was difficult, it made Jenny realize that she wanted to pursue a career working with people who were close to death.
That ambition coupled with the fact that her boyfriend died from falling through a staircase at his work made Jenny ultimately leave Nonnatus House and head for the marine Curie Hampstead Hospital.
Although her boyfriend sadly passed away, Jenny found someone new named Philip Worth, who also motivated her to move away from Nonnatus House to start a new life with him.
However, it is important to note that Jenny Lee's spirit continued to be a part of the show even after Season 3, as an older version of her character narrated the events. That specific narrator version of Jenny is voiced by Vanessa Redgrave.
Why Did Jessica Raine Leave Call the Midwife?
Although Call the Midwife's writers came up with a satisfying end to Jenny Lee's character in Season 3, many still wonder why actress Jessica Raine left the show, which was ultimately the reason for Jenny's character to be written off.
In an interview with The Herald from 2014 after the release of Season 3, Raine revealed that she simply wanted to "explore pastures new" and branch out to pursue other acting opportunities:
"It's been a real privilege to help bring Jenny Lee's story alive and amazingly satisfying to see how the public have embraced the series, but as is in keeping with Jenny's story, it's time for me to explore pastures new."
Raine also added that she had "a head full of wonderful memories," indicating that there was no behind-the-scenes drama that caused her to leave, and also admitted that she would "be tuning in to series four" of the show:
"So it is with a head full of wonderful memories that I leave my friends and a show that I know will continue to go from strength to strength. I too will be tuning in to series four and blubbing with the nation."
In another 2014 interview that took place with Mirror, Raine doubled down on her ambitions to explore other roles, ultimately revealing that she would like to "[play] someone a million miles from Jenny:"
"I am really up for playing someone a million miles from Jenny, much as I love her."
The actress then listed some different genres she would like to be part of such as comedy, sci-fi, and even theatre:
"I would like to explore comedy, I want to do more theatre and I definitely want a future in film. I love science-fiction."
Since she departed from Call the Midwife, Raine has played in several TV series such as Amazon Prime Video's The Devil's Hour, Fortitude, and Jericho.
However, she has also been cast in feature films such as Benjamin and Carmilla.
Call the Midwife Season 1-12 are available to stream on Netflix, and Season 14 is expected to be released sometime in 2025 on BBC One.
