Stephen McGann

Stephen Vincent McGann (born 2 February 1963) is an English actor, best known for portraying Dr Patrick Turner in the BBC One medical period drama series Call the Midwife. He is one of a family of acting brothers, the others being Joe, Paul, and Mark.

McGann was born in Kensington, Liverpool, and began his professional acting career in 1982, starring in the West End musical Yakety Yak. He has since worked extensively in British theatre and on screen.

Early life Stephen's father Joe was a Royal Naval Commando who died in 1984, and his mother, Clare, was a teacher. Along with his acting brothers Paul, Mark, and Joe who is named after his father, he also has a younger sister named Clare after their mother.

Career Acting In 1989, he starred as Mickey in the West End hit musical Blood Brothers. In 1990, he played Johann Strauss in the international mini-series, The Strauss Dynasty. In 1993, he created, co-produced and starred in the award-winning BBC drama The Hanging Gale. He portrayed the character of Sean Reynolds in Emmerdale from 1999 to 2002.

In 2003, he starred with Jamie Theakston in the hit West End play 'Art'. In 2006, he played the role of the Reverend Shaw in the original West End cast of the musical Footloose. He can currently be seen playing Dr. Turner in BBC TV series Call the Midwife.

Science communicator

In addition to his acting, McGann is a public speaker and science communicator. He graduated from Imperial College London with a Master's degree in Science Communication.

He was a guest speaker at the Cambridge Science Festival in March 2015. He published a guest essay in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine in April 2015, discussing issues of medical accuracy and communication in Call the Midwife.

In January 2016, McGann published a companion book to Call the Midwife called Doctor Turner's Casebook, in which he revisits key medical cases featured in the TV series and discusses their historical and social contexts. The BBC screened a documentary special based on the book, titled Call the Midwife: The Casebook, on 15 January 2017.

In July 2017, McGann published Flesh and Blood: A History of My Family in Seven Maladies, a personal history of his family over a century and a half as told through the medical ailments they suffered.

McGann was a member of the judging panel for the 2019 Royal Society Insight Investment Science Book Prize., and holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Liverpool and the University of Chester in recognition of his contribution to public health communication and drama

Personal life Stephen McGann is married to screenwriter and Call the Midwife creator Heidi Thomas. They have one son, Dominic.

McGann's great-uncle James "Jimmy" McGann was a trimmer on board the Titanic when she sank on 15 April 1912. Jimmy survived on board Collapsible Boat B and died in 1918.

Filmography + Film performances Year Title Role Notes 1987 Business As Usual Terry Flynn 1998 Milk Ralph Short 1999 The Harpist Henry Kennedy 2006 Turning Shadows Son Short 2016 Game Day Jeremy Short

+ Television performances Year Title Role Notes 1983 Juliet Bravo Simon Bailey 1 episode: "Simple Simon" 1984 Missing from Home Butch TV mini-series, 1 episode 1985 Brookside David Hargreaves 2 episodes 1985 & 1989 Bergerac Harry / Pepe Mendoza 2 episodes 1986 & 1988 Help! Tex 8 episodes 1987 Boon Kevin McGillivray 1 episode: "Fiddler on the Roof" 1988 Screenplay Brendan 1 episode: "Home Front" 1989 & 1992 Streetwise Bob Street 17 episodes 1991 Stay Lucky Dylan Jones 1 episode: "The Food of Love" 1991 The Strauss Dynasty Johann 'Schani' Strauss, Jnr. TV mini-series, 8 episodes 1994 The Lifeboat Mark Cowley 1 episode: "Three Men in a Boat" 1994 Grushko Andrei 3 episodes 1994 Where the Buffalo Roam Jimmy Dunn TV movie 1995 The Hanging Gale Daniel Phelan TV mini-series, all 4 episodes 1995 Catherine the Great Alexis Orlov TV movie 1997 Melissa Waiter (uncredited) TV mini-Series, 1 episode 1999–2002 Emmerdale Sean Reynolds 298 episodes 2004 & 2007 Casualty Garry Lesser / Sam Roach 2 episodes 2006 Doctors Bernard Stephenson 1 episode: "Sacrifice" 2007 The Bill Simon Winstanley 1 episode: "Identity Fraud" 2012–Present Call the Midwife Dr. Patrick Turner 104 episodes

+ Documentary/Self Appearances Year Title Role Notes 1999 Melinda's Big Night In Himself Episode: "Not Melinda's Big Night In 3" 2000 The Richard Whiteley Show Himself (Guest) Episode: #3.6 2000 Live Talk Himself Episode: #1.4 2000–2017 Loose Women Himself 5 episodes 2001 Open House with Gloria Hunniford Himself Episode: 3 August 2001 2001 Kelly Himself Episode: 21 September 2001 2015 Children in Need Himself (Contestant) On Strictly Come Dancing 2017 Call the Midwife: The Casebook Himself (Host) TV movie documentary 2018 Sunday Brunch Himself (Guest) Episode: #7.1 2018 Strictly Come Dancing Himself (Audience member) The Quarter-Final: Musicals Week & Results 2019 This Morning Himself Episode: 8 February 2019 2021 This Morning Himself Episode: 12 November 2021