INTERVIEW
IN MY EXPERIENCE…
Stephen McGann
The actor, 60, on his love of babies, having three famous brothers and how he nearly lost his wife Heidi Thomas, creator and writer of Call the Midwife, in which he has starred for the past 12 years
by PAM FRANCIS
What are your memories of Christmas, growing up with your four siblings?
Getting up on Christmas Day was magical. All four McGann brothers – me, Paul, Mark and Joe – were in two bunk beds sharing one tiny room, and my sister Clare was in another room in a small, terraced house in Liverpool. My dad, who worked at a copper factory, and mum, who was a teacher, always managed to make Christmas wonderful.
It’s a special day and that’s something I’ve imparted to my own son Dominic, 26.
How will you be spending Christmas this year?
The same way I always do: watching the Call the Midwife Christmas Special with the writer and executive producer who happens to be my wife, Heidi. Her family will join us and my son along with his Canadian fiancée Kim, who he met at Oxford University where he is finishing his PhD in religious philosophy. Heidi cooks a lovely Christmas dinner and we will all sit down to watch the telly with our party hats on. For me and Heidi, our stomachs are churning because it’s a bit of a work day for us.