Call The Midwife star Renee Bailey is currently playing midwife Joyce Highland in series 12 but fans of the BBC period drama are only just discovering the actress’ saucy past
Joyce Highland, a character in Call the Midwife, was the focus of Sunday’s episode, but viewers are just discovering Renee Bailey’s rather risqué TV history.
The midwife found herself in hot water, on the show that supposedly has a haunt set, after a patient lodged an official complaint, leading to a disciplinary hearing alongside Sister Julienne, portrayed by Jenny Agutter.
This follows Joyce’s attempt to assist a racist expectant mother who blamed her for developing thrombosis. However, it’s Renee’s vastly different role three years ago that has left fans stunned.
Renee featured in the BBC Three series Mood, playing a sex worker and aspiring rapper, as the series ramps up the raciness. In one episode, she and her friend Sasha appear in a music video dressed in bondage-style outfits performing a track called Charge It.
Clips of Renee in fishnets and a PVC black dress have been circulating on social media, leaving many fans shocked. One commented: “No way is that Joyce from Call The Midwife”, while another added: “I cannot unsee Joyce in fishnets.”
The actress is over the moon with absolutely no pangs of regret. On social media, she gushed about her gratitude for her part in a recent project, sharing: “And that’s a wrap on Paris #Mood. So grateful to have played this part in what is a mammoth of a show. Trial by fire. First TV job. Getting to act, rap and dance. Teen Ren would be gassed. Grateful for @thelecky vision, story and trust in me for this one My CHARGIE And of course the legend @shaheenbaigcasting,” reports the Mirror.
Renee also raved about her latest gig as the formidable Joyce, who she calls a “force”. She explained: “She is driven and knows what she wants. She’s come to England from Trinidad and was training in Birmingham before London.”
Adding a touch of gentleness to her portrayal, she noted, “I’ve tried to bring in a little more softness as well as qualities that I love in Black women generally. I don’t want her to just be this stereotypical idea of what a strong black woman looks like. She has a lot of tenderness.”
Not stopping there, Renee kept busy, featuring in hit Netflix series Rebel Cheer Squad as Laila for eight episodes in 2022, and way back when, in 2014, she appeared in Channel 4 mini-series How to be a Person.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
