Call the Midwife star has transformation for ‘outstanding’ Netflix crime series

Netflix’s gripping crime drama Legends stars Call the Midwife icon Charlotte Ritchie and has climbed to the top of the platform’s most-watched shows

Netflix’s latest compelling crime drama features a Call the Midwife favourite.

Despite launching just last week, all six episodes of the series Legends are presently available to watch on the platform, and it has gradually risen to the summit of the service’s most-viewed programmes.

Based on the book The Betrayer, co-authored by Guy Stanton, the programme chronicles the adventures of a group of HM Customs officers who operate undercover to tackle dangerous drug gangs.

Set during the 1990s towards the conclusion of Margaret Thatcher’s time as Prime Minister, the series follows a team of Customs workers who embrace an unorthodox strategy in their battle against the illicit drug trade, spurred by increasing political pressure.

Steve Coogan stars as Don, a hard-nosed head of operations charged with assembling a team to work undercover, reports the Mirror.

While former Call the Midwife star Charlotte Ritchie has been transformed into customs officer Sophie, the wife of main character Guy (played by Tom Burke).

Sophie works at Heathrow Airport and becomes embroiled in the perilous world of 1990s gangland Britain alongside her husband.

The series also stars Hayley Squires from I, Daniel Blake, ITV’s Victoria star Tom Hughes, Rustin actor Aml Ameen, Jasmine Blackborow from Netflix’s The Gentleman, Douglas Hodge, Johnny Harris, Gerald Kyd, Numan Acar, Joshua Samuels, Kem Hassan, and Thomas Coombes.

Legend viewers have already delivered their verdict on the new series, with one viewer writing on IMDB: “Awesome watch. So impressed with this show. And really impressed with Coogan’s part in this.”

A second remarked: “Outstanding! I was so impressed with this series, such a good watch”, while another described the show as “gripping”.

Charlotte Ritchie and Tom Burke star in Legends on Netflix (Image: NETFLIX)

Who did Charlotte Ritchie play in Call the Midwife?

Charlotte Ritchie joined Call the Midwife as Nurse Barbara in 2015 and remained on the show for four years.

The passing of Nurse Barbara Gilbert in series seven of the BBC period drama left viewers devastated as her heartbreaking fate played out on screen.

The dedicated midwife had been enjoying married life with Reverend Tom Hereward (Jack Ashton) when the couple returned to Poplar following a spell in Birmingham.

Having resumed her duties as a midwife at Nonnatus House, Barbara fell ill with a cold. Doctor Turner (Stephen McGann) visited Barbara, confirming she was suffering from blood poisoning caused by meningitis, and she was swiftly rushed to the hospital.

Despite showing initial signs of recovery, septicemia caused irreversible damage, leaving three of her fingers with tissue deterioration and ultimately bringing her career as a midwife to an end.

Call the Midwife fans were left in tears when Nurse Barbara died on the BBC show (Image: BBC/Neal Street productions)

It soon became apparent that Barbara would not pull through, and she passed away with Tom and Nurse Crane (Linda Bassett) at her bedside in truly devastating scenes.

Since departing Call the Midwife, Charlotte has remained a familiar face on the small screen, landing roles in some of Britain’s most beloved television dramas.

In 2019, she took on the role of Lin in Doctor Who, before appearing as Iris Shepherd in Death in Paradise, Matilda in Drifters, DS Irene Ross in McDonald and Dodds, and DS Francis in Code of Silence.

Between 2022 and 2024, Charlotte portrayed Bonnie in Grantchester, while also playing Alison Cooper in Ghosts from 2019 until 2023. She also brought the character of Barbara to life in the 2023 blockbuster Wonka, alongside leading man Timothée Chalamet.

Legends is available to stream on Netflix