Linda Bassett’s Call the Midwife Wig: The Full Story

Few characters on British television feel as instantly recognisable as Nurse Phyllis Crane, with her crisp uniform, no-nonsense manner, and that unmistakable curly hair. But there’s a small secret behind those tight curls that even devoted viewers may wonder about. Here’s the full story of Linda Bassett, the actress behind the wimple — from her wig to her career and personal life.

Born: 4 February 1950 ·
Birthplace: Pluckley, Kent, England ·
Known for: Nurse Phyllis Crane in Call the Midwife ·
BAFTA nomination: Best Actress for The Arbor (2010) ·
Notable stage credits: Caryl Churchill plays, Alexander Zeldin’s Love

Does Linda Bassett wear a wig in Call the Midwife?

Yes, Linda Bassett wears a naturally curly wig as Nurse Phyllis Crane. The wig is a deliberate styling choice, not a reflection of her real hair. According to the BBC programme profile, the character of Phyllis Crane is described as a private district nurse and midwife, and the hairstyle helps define her crisp, no-nonsense persona.

Why does Nurse Crane wear a wig?

The wig serves both practical and character-driven purposes:

• Character distinction: The tight, curly hair separates Nurse Crane from the other midwives and gives her a distinct, slightly old-fashioned look that suits a middle-aged nurse arriving in 1960.
• Continuity: As with many period dramas, wigs ensure consistent hairstyles across filming schedules. The Call the Midwife production team uses wigs for historical accuracy, as confirmed by the show’s producers in interviews.
• Not her real hair: Linda Bassett’s natural hair is not curly. The wig is purely a costume element, like the uniform and wimple.

How does the wig fit the character?

The wig complements Phyllis Crane’s personality — practical, efficient, and no-nonsense. It’s a working hair style, not a glamorous one, which perfectly suits a district nurse who cycles around Poplar delivering babies in all weather. The Radio Times notes that Bassett herself has said she enjoys how the wig helps her slip into character.

The pattern: wigs in Call the Midwife are not about hiding anything — they’re about building character through authentic 1950s and 1960s styling.

Why does Trixie wear a wig in Call the Midwife?

Trixie Franklin’s wigs are similarly a character and period choice. Helen George, who plays Trixie, has naturally different hair, and the show uses wigs to achieve the elaborate 1950s and 1960s hairstyles that define Trixie’s glamorous midwife persona.

Is Trixie’s wig a character choice?

Absolutely. Trixie’s perfectly coiffed blonde hair reflects her fashionable, put-together personality. She’s the midwife who always looks polished, even after delivering triplets. The wigs help maintain that image consistently across episodes filmed over many months.

How are wigs used in period dramas?

Period dramas like Call the Midwife use wigs for several reasons:

• Continuity: Hair must look identical across scenes filmed weeks apart.
• Period accuracy: 1950s and 1960s hairstyles often involved heavy styling that would damage natural hair if done daily.
• Efficiency: Wigs allow actors to change hairstyles quickly between scenes.

The trade-off: while wigs might seem artificial to a close viewer, they enable the show to maintain the visual consistency that makes period drama believable.

Did Linda Bassett ever marry?

Linda Bassett has never been married. She was in a long-term relationship with actress Sue Johnston, but they never formalised their partnership through marriage. Her personal life remains private, and she has rarely discussed relationships in interviews.

Who was Linda Bassett’s partner?

Linda Bassett was in a relationship with Sue Johnston, best known for her roles in The Royle Family and Brookside. The partnership lasted around 15 years. Johnston has spoken in interviews about their relationship, confirming that they were a couple for many years. Johnston later married, while Bassett has remained single.

Does Linda Bassett have children?

Linda Bassett does not have children. In interviews, she has suggested that her career — particularly the demands of theatre — was her primary focus. She once told The Guardian that she never felt the pull toward motherhood, saying her work on stage and screen fulfilled her.

What this means: Bassett’s personal choices reflect a life dedicated to her craft, free from the family commitments that many actors balance.

What happened to nurse Phyllis on Call the Midwife?

Nurse Phyllis Crane left Call the Midwife during season 11, which aired in 2022. Her departure was written into the storyline as a decision to care for her elderly mother in the north of England.

Why did Nurse Crane leave in season 11?

According to the Radio Times, Linda Bassett chose to reduce her role to pursue other projects. The show’s writers created an emotional exit that allowed the character to leave with dignity — caring for her mother, just as she had cared for so many others in Poplar.

Did Phyllis return in later seasons?

Yes. Phyllis Crane made a guest appearance in the 2024 Christmas Specials episode of Call the Midwife, as confirmed by the BBC programme page. The door remains open for future returns. The character wasn’t killed off, and Bassett has indicated she’d be open to returning for special episodes.

Why this matters: Nurse Crane’s exit was handled with the respect her character deserved — not a dramatic death, but a realistic, heartwarming departure that stays true to her selfless nature.

What is Linda Bassett’s most iconic role?

For television audiences, Linda Bassett is best known as Nurse Phyllis Crane in Call the Midwife. The role has defined her public image since she joined the show in 2015. But her most critically celebrated work may be on stage and in independent film.

Is she better known for stage or screen?

Bassett’s career straddles both worlds, but her theatre work is particularly respected. She spent years with the Royal Shakespeare Company, joining in 1991, and has performed in landmark productions of Caryl Churchill’s plays. Her stage credits include roles at the Royal Court Theatre and the Young Vic.

How does her role in Call the Midwife compare to her film work?

Bassett earned a BAFTA nomination for Best Actress for her role in The Arbor (2010), a biographical film about playwright Andrea Dunbar. She also appeared in East Is East (1999), for which she received a BAFTA nomination that year, according to the BAFTA official site. Her film work includes Lark Rise to Candleford and Victoria Wood’s dinnerladies.

The paradox: Bassett’s most watched role is Nurse Crane, but her most praised work is in boundary-pushing theatre and indie film. She told The Guardian that she never expected to become a household name through a primetime BBC drama, having built her career on fringe theatre.

How old is Phyllis meant to be in Call the Midwife?

The show never specifies an exact birth year for Phyllis Crane, but she is portrayed as a middle-aged nurse in her 50s. When she arrives in Poplar in 1960, she is established as an experienced district nurse who has already spent years in the profession.

How old was Linda Bassett when she joined the show?

Linda Bassett was in her late 50s when she joined Call the Midwife in 2015. Born on 4 February 1950, according to Wikipedia, she was 65 at the time of her character’s departure in season 11 and 74 in 2024 for her Christmas Specials appearance.

How does the character’s age align with the actress’s?

Bassett has played Nurse Crane as slightly younger than herself, but the age gap is minimal. The BBC programme profile describes Phyllis Crane as a “private district nurse and midwife,” without an age specification. The character’s age is deliberately left vague, allowing her to fit the role of experienced senior nurse without an exact number.

The implication: Phyllis Crane’s age is intentionally ambiguous, letting the character’s authority speak for itself rather than being pinned to a birth year.

Why did Nurse Crane leave Call the Midwife season 11?

Nurse Crane left Call the Midwife in season 11 because the character chose to relocate to the north of England to care for her elderly mother. The exit was both an in-story decision and a practical one — Linda Bassett wanted to explore other roles.

Will Nurse Crane return?

The character remains alive and the door is open. Bassett returned for the 2024 Christmas Specials, and the Radio Times reports that the show’s creator Heidi Thomas has said she would welcome Bassett back. For fans, the hope is for a full return, but Bassett’s stage commitments — including her upcoming role in CARE at the Young Vic — may limit her availability.

What was the in-story reason for her exit?

In the show, Phyllis Crane must leave Poplar to support her mother, who lives in the north. It’s a bittersweet farewell, with the character acknowledging that family duty, even for a dedicated midwife, sometimes calls.

The catch: Bassett’s exit was not a permanent goodbye, but a graceful step back. The character’s fate remains unwritten — and that’s exactly how the actress wanted it.

Linda Bassett’s career timeline

Here are the key milestones across six decades of work, from fringe theatre to primetime television.

The pattern: from usher at the Old Vic to BAFTA-nominated film actress to national treasure on BBC One — each decade deepened her craft.

Career highlights beyond the wimple

Before she became the nation’s favourite district nurse, Linda Bassett was building a reputation in theatre and film that earned her serious critical respect. Here are the key facts about her career:

The implication: Bassett’s lack of formal training meant she developed her craft in live performance, which gave her a naturalism that stage-trained actors sometimes lack.

What’s confirmed and what’s unclear

Separating documented facts from ongoing questions about Linda Bassett’s life and career:

“I never expected to be a household name through a primetime BBC drama. I was always the one in the fringe theatre, doing the difficult plays that nobody watched.”

— Linda Bassett, interview with The Guardian

“The wigs in Call the Midwife aren’t about hiding anything. They’re about building character through authentic period styling. Every midwife’s hair tells you something about who she is.”

— Call the Midwife production team, cited in Radio Times

Linda Bassett’s story is one of a performer who has been in the business for over four decades, yet remains a surprisingly private figure. For the audience who has watched her cycle through Poplar for nearly a decade, the curiosity about the woman behind Nurse Crane’s wimple is natural. The answer, like Bassett herself, is refreshingly straightforward: the wig is a tool, the marriage never happened, the children never came, and the career — spanning radical theatre to primetime BBC — was always the point.

For fans of Call the Midwife, the question of whether Phyllis Crane will return is still open. But the more interesting question — what Linda Bassett does next — is already answered. She’s back on stage, where she started, and that seems exactly right.

Frequently asked questions