Call the Midwife rejects claim star was ‘disrespected’ before shock exit
Olly Rix has now addressed his sudden exit from Call the Midwife last year.
Call the Midwife has responded to Olly Rix’s comments on his sudden departure from the role of Matthew Aylward after three years on the BBC One drama.
Fans were left devastated last year when Matthew announced that he would be moving to New York to try and make his fortune after losing his inheritance.
He gave Trixie (Helen George) a relationship ultimatum and as the season wrapped up, it was unclear whether Rix would stay or go, leaving many Call the Midwife viewers saying he ‘deserved better’.
Yet the 40-year-old was subsequently cast on Casualty, confirming he would not be returning to the East End set. There were reports at the time that the cast were ‘stunned and upset’ Rix’s character Matthew had been written out.
Rix has since spoken about how he felt he wasn’t ‘treated with much integrity or respect’ at the end of his time on the show, telling Hello! he now struggles to talk about Call the Midwife.
A Call the Midwife spokesperson told Metro: ‘We don’t accept this. Call the Midwife is a drama that prides itself on providing a supportive, inclusive and nurturing filming environment, and we are known for the family atmosphere on our set.
Olly Rix has said he struggles to talk about the show (Picture: BBC / Nealstreet Productions / Sophie Mutevelian) Matthew suddenly left London for New York (Picture: BBC / Neal Street Productions)‘Series 15 is currently filming and we look forward to sharing this exciting new series with our beloved audience.’
Rix told Hello!: ‘It’s hard for me to talk about that show. I don’t love talking about it.
‘I’m very fortunate. Most jobs, I think of very fondly but you do, of course, leave them in the past and move on and develop new work.
‘With that project in particular, I didn’t like the way it ended and I didn’t think they treated me with much integrity or respect, and I didn’t like that.
‘I think it’s just best left in the past and not discussed much more.’
Olly has since been cast in Casualty (Picture: BBC/PA Wire)RadioTimes at the time reported that Rix’s departure didn’t necessarily mean it was the end of the road for the character of Matthew.
According to the publication, the door was being left open for him to come back at some point in the future – whether that remains the case is unclear.
Rix has now traded in his 50s period costume for scrubs to play former Special Forces medic Flynn Byron on Casualty.
Meanwhile, the BBC has announced plans to make a Call the Midwife film as well as a prequel TV series set during the Second World War.
The show’s 15th series will begin with a two-part Christmas special which will see the cast of characters journey to Hong Kong on a mercy mission.
Call the Midwife returns this Christmas.
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