What Happened to Trixie's Husband on 'Call the Midwife,' and Why Did He Disappear?

Season 10 of Call the Midwife introduced the soon-to-be-eligible bachelor, Matthew Aylward, as Trixie Franklin's future love interest. Matthew was handsome and wealthy, and he became a single father in the show. He and Trixie started off as friends, but turned to lovers, and eventually became husband and wife by the end of Season 12.

However, the duo's newlywed bliss didn't last long, as Season 13 had Matthew exit the show without a definitive return date. Now, two whole seasons later, fans are wondering what happened to him and if he's ever coming back.

In the Call the Midwife universe, Matthew faces financial ruin in Season 13, leading him to move to New York. It seems that he and Trixie are still together, making their relationship work long-distance. However, the character's abrupt exit from the show has fans wondering if some behind-the-scenes drama is at fault.

Olly Rix, who played the now-missing Matthew on the show, shared how he felt about his departure. He told Express, "I don't feel I was treated with a lot of integrity or respect at the end of it. Obviously, it's commercially, a very successful show, and nobody can take that away from it. But as an actor and as a performer, it was the least interesting or exciting role I'd ever done."

Despite fans' wishes, it seems all but impossible that Matthew will ever return to the show. Olly is currently busy working on a different series called Casualty, which is also on the BBC. Given what he's said about how Call the Midwife handled his character, we doubt he'd be willing to take a break from his current job to revisit that role.

Trixie, herself, squashed fans' hopes of a Matthew return in Season 15. She firmly informed the other characters that her husband would remain in New York "until autumn," which was clearly a direct message from the scriptwriters to the viewers.

Although Olly is maintaining his professionalism by refusing to say exactly why he was written out of Call the Midwife, the show's viewers aren't offering that same grace. Matthew Fans seem to agree that the character changed in a way that didn't make any sense, and many speculate that there was some drama between Olly and the production crew — especially when the show clapped back at his extremely mild criticism.

In what may have been the worst possible response ever, representatives from Call the Midwife told RadioTimes that they "don't accept" Olly's interpretation of events. They claimed the show "prides itself on providing a supportive, inclusive and nurturing filming environment, and we are known for the family atmosphere on our set."