Call the Midwife Christmas special spoilers follow.
It's been happening for a while now: a spark growing between Cyril (Zephryn Taitte) and nurse Rosalind (Natalie Quarry), subtle and slow burning but still quietly evident. We're convinced of it.
Over the past season we've watched Call the Midwife inch the pair closer and closer together, during the seaside trip, supporting each other through tough cases and over lemon-curd sandwiches.
They seemed to continuously find themselves in each other's company and neither one seemed perturbed by this fact in the slightest. However, their strengthening chemistry maturing into romance was always unlikely given the fact pastor Robinson is still married to former Nonnatus nurse Lucille (Leonie Elliott). Until now, that is.
When Lucille's mental health worsened following their miscarriage and increased racial tensions in Poplar, she began yearning for their homeland. Concerned for her wellbeing Cyril had encouraged his wife to return to Jamaica for some respite. He hadn't anticipated that her short stay would be extended for the foreseeable future with no return date in sight.
Fans watched his hope for their reunion fade over the season, but even so Cyril isn't the type of man who would step out on Lucille without the knowledge that it was truly over between them.
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During Call the Midwife's latest Christmas special, however, Cyril received a letter that just might spark the start of the end of his and Lucille's marriage.
In the first part of the two-part special Lucille's letter to Cyril doesn't deliver news of her return as he'd hoped. Instead it said "nothing".
"She's sweet, she's courteous, she's enjoying her job and she says nothing," Cyril said before fleeing his company looking crushed.
If you had to restrain yourself from hugging the screen to offer the kind-hearted pastor some form of comfort no one could blame you.
With very little, Lucille said a lot and Call the Midwife said even more. In not asking him to join her or declaring that she's coming back, or even talking about their relationship at all, Lucille appears to be distancing herself from her husband.
Whether that's because she's not ready to tell him what we all know to be true – that she wants to make her good life in Jamaica permanent – or because the chapter of her life with Cyril is over is unclear but it certainly places heavy strain on their already fragile relationship.
Meanwhile, Call the Midwife's creators took the opportunity of a Christmas crisis to continue to stealthily build Rosalind and Cyril's bond.
The two warmed to each other further while compassionately caring for the escaped prisoner, Jock (John Kazek), who'd only just learnt of his mother's passing. Once the matter of her funeral was put to bed and Jock had been returned to prison, Rosalind optimistically suggested that she and Cyril go together to place flowers on her grave in lieu of the son who couldn't.
It's hardly the stuff of romance but the little trill of hope in her voice was and they've always grown closer when carrying out acts of service for others.
Either way, Rosalind's affection for Cyril is growing more obvious and becoming bolder and while he probably won't be ready to entertain another romance for a while – his heart still longing for his estranged wife – the beaming smile he returns to Rosalind cannot be ignored. There's a spark there for him too.
The arrival of Lucille's letter suggests that Call the Midwife might be ready to finally reopen the Lucille and Cyril chapter. Whether that leads to reconciliation or a break-up is yet to be seen but we're almost certain there will be a third heart in the equation to consider.
Call the Midwife airs on BBC One and streams on BBC iPlayer.
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TV writer, Digital Spy Janet completed her Masters degree in Magazine Journalism in 2013 and has continued to grow professionally within the industry ever since. For six years she honed her analytical reviewing skills at the Good Housekeeping institute eventually becoming Acting Head of Food testing. She also freelanced in the field of film and TV journalism from 2013-2020, when she interviewed A-List stars such as Samuel L Jackson, Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson. In 2021 she joined Digital Spy as TV writer where she gets to delve into more of what she loves, watching copious amounts of telly all in the name of work. Since taking on the role she has conducted red carpet interviews with the cast of Bridgerton, covered the BAFTAs and been interviewed by BBC Radio and London Live. In her spare time she also moonlights as a published author, the book Gothic Angel.
