'Doctor Who' Alum Peter Davison Joins 'Call the Midwife' for Christmas Special

The Fifth Doctor is heading to Poplar for the holiday season - former Doctor Who star Peter Davison will be appearing in this year's Call the Midwife Christmas special.

According to the series' official Facebook page, Davison will be playing Mr. Percival, the ringmaster of Percival’s Circus, a traveling group that arrives in the East End neighborhood of Poplar just in time for the festive season.

This year's feature-length holiday installment will take place in December of 1965, and though everyone at Nonnatus House is looking forward to traditional celebrations with all the trimmings, nothing goes quite to plan. Sister Monica Joan is rushed to the hospital, and Trixie is incensed to receive a subscription to a Marriage Bureau as a Christmas gift.

Meanwhile, a surprise reunion for Shelagh involves her in a deeply moving birth, and the circus arrives in Poplar, bringing new friendships, new experiences, and an exciting adventure for Nurse Crane. (Spoiler alert: I already hope Nurse Crane and Peter Davison's character hit it off, just saying.)

Like pretty much every other production, filming on Call the Midwife has halted earlier this year thanks to the coronavirus pandemic that swept across the world. Happily, shooting on the holiday installment and upcoming tenth season resumed in mid-August, with a detailed plan in place to protect everyone involved. (Just look at these masks!)