When we first met Trixie (Helen George) in 2012, we assumed we knew everything there was to know about her from the get-go: she was the fun, glamorous and vivacious nurse – always bubbly, always ‘up’, and always oozing confidence. Her make-up was pristine, her hair perfectly coiffed, her wardrobe enviable. Her convent bedroom was filled with magazines, lipsticks and hair curlers. Her fashion advice was always on-point – as was her straight-talking stance on matters of the heart.

And, of course, we were fond of her unabashed approach to all things naughty and decadent: Trixie was the one, after all, who could always get her hands on a sneaky Babysham, or whip up a creative cocktail from the remnants of the liqueur bottles stashed in her wardrobe. She was the one who’d encourage the girls to grab their toothbrush mugs and pour them a generous slosh of G&T during their evening chats. She was the one who, at a party, wouldn’t say no to one or two glasses of wine.

The young nurse’s alcohol consumption was presented, at first, in a positive light. Over time, though, this began to change: we’d watch her stay up all night drinking with her friends, or regularly pour herself a large glass (or two) of her favourite tipple to help her unwind after work. By season four, the rug was pulled almost entirely out from under us when she began visibly using alcohol as a crutch – and she passed out one night, drunk, after calling off her engagement to Chaplain Tom Hereward.

Eventually, Trixie was forced to face up to the truth: she was an alcoholic. With the support of Sister Mary Cynthia, she joined an alcoholic support group and, since then, she’s come along in leaps and bounds. She’s as bubbly and confident as she ever was – and she’s (seemingly) committed herself to a life of sobriety. Naturally, we assumed this was one of those storylines that had been neatly tied up with a bow: Trixie’s alcoholism was cured.

Unfortunately, though, life doesn’t work like this. In fact, the hard evidence is that alcoholism is a lifelong condition. Why? Because although you read about the odd person “never” experiencing cravings again, thousands of people in virtually identical positions do not experience the same cure. Because you still spend a lot of your time thinking about drinking, or rather not drinking. Because drink’s always on your mind and at the forefront of your thoughts – and Call the Midwife writers are all too aware of this.

So it makes sense that, in the current series, they decided to revisit the storyline.

Why Call The Midwife’s alcohol addiction storyline is so incredibly important