Call the Midwife's Trixie and Matthew's relationship 'challenged' by 'severe financial' issue in series 13

Call the Midwife's Trixie Franklin and Matthew Aylward will face "severe financial challenge" in series 13, creator Heidi Thomas OBE has revealed. 

Whilst speaking to HELLO! and other journalists ahead of the upcoming season, the writer revealed that the couple, who are played by Helen George and Olly Rix, are "challenged" by "an unexpected turn" in their marriage. 

Teasing the newlyweds' relationship in the new episodes, Heidi said: "Trixie and Matthew have embarked on married life and as we all know Trixie had the most wonderful happy ending in a tremendous frock. 

"But a happy ending is also a new beginning and they embark upon the journey of marriage and the next chapter of their lives in a way that takes a bit of an unexpected and dramatically rich turn," she continued. "They suffer severe financial challenge which is not something they were expecting and it both deepens their relationship and challenges it."

© BBC

Season 12 ended on a joyous note for the couple as they tied the knot in front of their friends and family in a stunning ceremony. 

While the circumstances of Trixie and Matthew's financial problems have not yet been revealed, it's not the first time the show has hinted at money trouble for the Aylward family. 

At the start of the series 12 finale, Trixie was planning to wear "something old, something borrowed and something blue" for her big day until discovering that the Aylward family tiara she was going to borrow had been sold by Matthew's mother. 

Explaining what had happened to his fuming bride-to-be, Matthew said that after his father fell ill, his mother wanted to take him on a cruise to revitalise his health and used the money after selling the tiara.

"Perhaps things weren't as liquid as they might have been in their personal accounts," he told Trixie. 

 SEE: The cast of Call the Midwife cast and their real-life children

Thankfully, Nurse Crane came to the rescue with a pill box made from the fabric of her own wedding dress, while Miss Higgins also saved the day with a handkerchief for Trixie's "something borrowed", as well as blue fabric from a midwife's uniform to be sewn inside the dress.

© Neal Street Productions/Andrea Southam

Despite Matthew previously opening up about his family's financial situation, his and Trixie's money problems may come as a surprise for fans after the wealthy businessman saved Nonnatus House from being closed down by buying it outright in the final episode of series 12. 

While viewers will just have to wait and see what happens with Trixie and Matthew's financial affairs, they can also expect "change" and "challenge" in 1969 Poplar. 

© Neal Street Productions/Nicky Johnston

Speaking about the new series, Heidi told the BBC: "After Trixie’s spectacular wedding, the Nonnatus House community feels more tightly-knit than ever, but life in Poplar has never been a fairy tale. As 1969 unfolds we will see change and challenge rock the world of our beloved nuns, nurses, medics, and midwives. Newcomers Joyce and Rosalind arrive with much to learn, and much to give."