Cyril Robinson and his wife Lucille were a fan-favourite couple in Call the Midwife and what happened to the nurse and to them as a couple was so incredibly devastating.
After a slightly anxious wait following the finale of season 13 wondering if there would be another season of Call the Midwife, thankfully in March it was confirmed that we will indeed be brought more stories from Nonnatus House in 2025. In the meantime we are patiently waiting for the Christmas special and can’t help re-watching our favourite episodes again and again. Across the pond, Call the Midwife season 13 has also finally landed on Netflix and with so much happening every episode, many people might well be wondering all over again what became of certain characters. In particular, what happened to Cyril’s wife in Call the Midwife is a subject that will likely continue to be asked by fans re-watching or watching season 13 for the first time as Lucille Robinson (played by Leonie Elliott) is conspicuous by her absence.
What happened to Cyril’s wife in Call the Midwife?
For those who need a quick reminder of what went on previously as they watch - or re-watch - Call the Midwife season 13, very sadly we saw Cyril Robinson’s wife Lucille leave in the second episode of season 12. This of course means that when we pick up with our favourite Poplar residents in season 13, Lucille isn’t there as she remains in Jamaica and Cyril is a married man living without his beloved wife. When Lucille first left Call the Midwife it was presented as a temporary arrangement after she went through a series of very traumatic events in London.
She and Cyril had been hoping to grow their family and Lucille experienced a miscarriage and later struggled to conceive again. If this wasn’t already heart-wrenching enough, the nurse faced appalling abuse as racial tension rose following Enoch Powell’s Rivers of Blood speech, which criticised immigration to Britain, with a focus on those emigrating from Commonwealth Countries.
After going through so much, it understandably began to have a serious impact upon Lucille's mental health. She ended up seeking advice from Dr Turner, who diagnosed her as being at the point of a nervous breakdown.
Cyril was determined to help Lucille and so used some of the couple’s savings to buy her an open ticket to Jamaica. With her family there and a change of scene, he hoped this would help his wife to heal and she gratefully accepted this ticket. Lucille left Poplar in the sidecar of a motorbike, with Cyril at the wheel. Fans might well have hoped this wouldn’t be the last we saw of Cyril’s wife in Call the Midwife, but sadly, it has been.
Speaking with Violet and Fred Buckle, Cyril explained that he’d received word from Lucille’s sister that she’d got a job in a Jamaican hospital. This was so she could "pay her way" at her parents’ house after coming back, though it emerged that far from being a temporary thing, Lucille had gone on to accept a very serious-sounding position as Sister on the hospital’s Maternity Ward for six months. Cyril Robinson went out to Jamaica himself in episode 7 but returned solo, clearly desperately missing his wife.
Does Cyril’s wife Lucille appear in Call the Midwife season 13?
Lucille Robinson has gone for good - at least for now - in Call the Midwife and she didn’t appear in any of season 13. Instead, Cyril continued to live alone, but with the love and support of all his friends, especially Fred and Violet, and a cat called Nigel. He also focused on his new career as a Child Welfare Officer which he well and truly threw himself into in Call the Midwife season 13. His actor Zephryn Taitte opened up to RadioTimes.com in February about his character’s development in season 13.
"For Cyril, you see him more integrate into the community, finding his role in society and having more of a mission that he wants to take care of," the star said, after previously sharing with the publication what his hopes are for Cyril and Lucille’s marriage.
Zephryn declared, "He's just taking it day by day and in my head I believe he's writing her letters and hopefully they’ll come back [together] one day if she responds. I think the door's always open for Lucille to come back. It’d be lovely to see Leonie again."
We would certainly love to see Leonie return as Lucille and for Cyril and his wife to be happily reunited in Call the Midwife. However, one indication that their geographical separation is permanent is that Leonie’s exit was declared to be permanent. When she left the show she took to social media and described the season as being "incredibly difficult to film".
"It's my hope for people watching that if they can see the good in her, maybe they can extend that to people in real life. I care about her deeply," she wrote. "Many share her story of miscarriage and depression, and many share her experience of abuse, racial or otherwise. Many of us face mental health challenges, I hope we can continue to love one another, support and listen to each other. Look after yourselves and each other."
With this in mind, it seems as though for Lucille to come back and reunite with Cyril in Poplar, Leonie would have to decide she wants to come back to Call the Midwife. If she doesn’t, then Cyril and Lucille will remain apart. It’s possible that Cyril’s actor Zephryn could want to leave too at some point and if so they could decide to write an exit storyline where he joins Lucille in Jamaica.
Alternatively, the show writers of Call the Midwife could end up making it so Cyril and Lucille, whilst still loving each other, decide to get divorced because they each want to stay living in the UK and Jamaica respectively. Whatever happens, we’re expecting to see Cyril back for Call the Midwife season 14 and if it follows the pattern of previous instalments then we could get to see the new season in early 2025.
