Call the Midwife's Cyril delivers desperately sad news – signalling end of an era

"Lucille asked me for a divorce," he admitted to Mrs Wallace. "She doesn't wish to return to London, and I do not wish to live in Jamaica."

From their first date in season 8 up until their wedding in the 2021 Christmas special and beyond, fans of the drama had remained invested in their relationship and desperately wanted them to succeed.

But a combination of factors, including a miscarriage, contributed to Lucille heading back to the Caribbean for what was only supposed to be a temporary stay while she resolved her issues.

Much to Cyril's surprise, however, she decided to extend her stay and secured a job on a maternity ward, in turn signalling the imminent end of their marriage.

And that has now been confirmed.

"Is there not a compromise you can reach?" asked Mrs Wallace.

"I'm afraid not," he responded flatly.

Despite Leonie Elliott saying previously that it would be "lovely to return", Lucille and Cyril are officially no more.

Cyril was also concerned that news of his divorce would prevent him from continuing in his role as a pastor, but Mrs Wallace was quick to nip that in the bud.

"Don't worry about what other people will judge to be right or wrong," she advised. "You can only do as you judge, in your heart."

But will his heart now look to Rosalind?

While the midwife was hoping to catch up with him following his return, Cyril had a lot on his plate and chose not to join her volunteering efforts at the homeless shelter.

But towards the end of the episode, they grew close once again as Poplar geared up for its very own Commonwealth Games, which is when Rosalind voiced her emotions for the very first time.

"I was hoping that if we spent less time together, my feelings would die down, particularly if he went to the other side of the world," she admitted to Joyce.

"But unfortunately, him going to the other side of the world only seems to have made matters worse

"I don't know what do."

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It's already been confirmed that the pair will continue to explore their feelings for one another.

Speaking to RadioTimes.com and other press ahead of the season 14 premiere, Zephryn Taitte described the romance between the pair as "simmering", adding: "They fancy each other."

He then went on to tease "hard times ahead".

"I remember speaking to someone on set, and they said they were in an interracial relationship and how hard it was in the '70s," he said. "They could never be open and flirty with each other.

"[And] they do have a little spat with some people on the streets. That's the early stages of it, and I'm sure it's going get harder for them."

But will prejudice put a stop to things before they've even gotten started? Or will Cyril's recent divorce and his role as a pastor complicate matters down the line?

Call the Midwife continues on Sunday 9th February on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

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