“Call the Midwife” viewers are reeling from the poignant demise of Cyril Robinson’s cherished cat Nigel. In the 2023 Christmas Special, a police officer stumbled upon Nigel amid a resident evacuation in Poplar.
It wasn’t long before Cyril, played by Zephryn Taitte, encountered Nigel on the street and, offering him a tin of fish, their bond was quickly cemented. Come Sunday (February 9), midwife Rosalind Clifford, portrayed by Natalie Quarry, found an ailing Nigel and brought him back to Cyril.
Wrapped in a blanket, Nigel shivered and refused food and water as Rosalind clung to him. Cyril had ambitions to take his “adventurous” feline friend to the vet the following morning, optimistic about getting him “back on his feet” Nonetheless, Cyril’s heart sank when he awoke, still cradling Nigel, only to realize he had lost him.
Mourning, he said: “Don’t leave me Nigel”, tenderly caressing his head. In a tear-jerking sequence, Fred Buckle, depicted by Cliff Parisi, delicately dug a grave in the gardens where Cyril reverently laid Nigel down.
“Thanks Fred, it will be nice knowing he is nearby,” expressed a sorrowful Cyril to his friend. To which Fred responded: “I’m not sentimental about animals but I’m going to miss his little face.”, reports the Mirror.
A reflective Cyril reminisced, “We were strays together,” asserting, “He had no-one and I had no-one when we met”, and concluded with heartfelt sentiment, “We made a home together.
” The farewell between Cyril and Nigel touched the hearts of “Call the Midwife” aficionados, prompting emotive responses on social media. On X, one viewer lamented: “Nooo Nigel #callthemidwife”, alongside a stream of tearful emojis.
A second viewer expressed dismay, tweeting: “#CallTheMidwife shocking, show needs boycotting after killing Nigel”, whereas a third contributed their sadness: “Oh no, Nigel the cat is dead. Poor Cyril.”
One person was particularly upset, declaring: “NIGEL THE CAT NOOOOOOO #callthemidwife” Similarly, another viewer shared their disbelief: “I cant believe #callthemidwife killed off Nigel…. best character on the show.”