Call The Midwife’s new star Charlotte Ritchie is an Angel

An Angel is the newest midwife.

Charlotte Ritchie was watching her favourite Sunday night drama and saying to her mum that it’d be amazing to be part of it.

Now, as blockbuster hit Call The Midwife starts its fourth series tonight, Charlotte is its new star.

She plays nurse Barbara Gilbert, taking over from Jessica Raine, whose nurse Jenny Lee made an emotional exit at the end of the last series.

A virtual unknown when she landed the role, Jessica’s now on Hollywood’s radar and is filming a new Agatha Christie series, Tommy And Tuppence, with David Walliams.

It shot her to fame and (sometimes unwanted) attention, but down-to-earth Charlotte told The Sunday Post she has no worries.

“If you’re well known people might see you for other parts which is great and a real positive,” explains the forthright and chatty 25-year-old.

“But being famous and playing on that isn’t something I’d ever pursue. It’s just not attractive to me at all.”

Charlotte has actually already had more than a brush with being in the public eye as part of classical crossover group All Angels.

They signed a five-album deal with Universal and, prettily packaged, performed at a host of major events, including the 2011 Champions League Final at Wembley between Manchester United and Barcelona.

But, bizarrely, recognition was never a problem.

“I think we only ever got recognised once, in a club in Shrewsbury, and only then because we were all standing together in the clothes we’d just performed in,” laughs Charlotte, best known acting-wise from Fresh Meat and Siblings.

“I’ve had more recognition from my acting. People talk about trolling and people being mean to them in the street but the public have always been nice to me, which is cool.

“It’s a bit like being at a party and feeling like you have a couple more pals around. It sounds daft but it’s a nice feeling.”

Fun and good company, Charlotte seems to have a sensible, take-anything-in-her-stride vibe. But she admits the heady days of All Angels, that started when she was just 17, would be very different today.

“If you asked me to do it now I’d be like a bowl of jelly. But the girls were my friends and it just felt like a good time. We played the O2 Arena and the Royal Albert Hall seven times.

“It’s one of my favourite places in the world. My uncle was a steward there and my gran was once on the stage when she was at drama school.

“My first time was the Festival of Remembrance in front of the Queen and I did get super-nervous.

“As a diversion tactic, I focused on just one thing a solo line I had so I didn’t engage on being on the BBC and everything else.”

Charlotte, who still keeps her love of music alive by performing with her brother Luke, is indeed on the BBC now, with 10 million set to watch her Call The Midwife debut.

“I just thought: ‘Oh God, this is a big one’ when I heard,” confides Charlotte, a regular performer at the Edinburgh Festival.

“I used to watch it with my mum and dad. I knew it so well that when I went on set for the first time I had to be careful not to call people by their character’s name because you’d just sound mad!

“Everyone was so lovely and welcoming I thought it was a conspiracy and they’d all been paid to be nice!”

Like the rest of the huge army of fans, Charlotte shed many a tear when viewing and she says the crying isn’t restricted to the audience, especially during the birthing scenes.

“Whenever there’s a baby on set everyone’s really quiet and you get these burly crew members moved and crying.”

Having not long moved out into her first flat in London, it’s clear family is everything to Charlotte.

It’s already been observed how much she looks like Jessica. So, what if her star rises just as fast?

“My family are all very proud of me but once Hollywood comes and I’m in LA, they’re gone!” she giggles as she heads off.