The BBC has announced that Call the Midwife will take a break from BBC1 after the next series while production switches to a prequel series, set during the war, plus a standalone movie, for cinema release
Since 2012, Call the Midwife has been warming the hearts of Sunday night viewers. However, the BBC’s beloved drama is set to take a hiatus from BBC1 after its upcoming series.
The production team is shifting gears to work on a prequel series set during World War II and a standalone movie destined for the big screen.
The prequel will whisk us back to the Blitz, introducing younger incarnations of many cherished characters we’ve come to love, potentially including Sister Julienne (Jenny Agutter), Sister Monica Joan (Judy Parfitt), Dr Turner (Stephen McGann), and Fred Buckle (Cliff Parisi). Fans might also see the return of Sister Evangelina, played by Pam Ferris until her character’s poignant exit in the fifth series.
This nostalgic journey will rewind the clock to at least 15 years before the original series, which drew inspiration from Jennifer Worth’s memoirs and was initially set in 1957.
Meanwhile, the feature film promises to bring back the current cast and could reunite viewers with fan favourites like Miranda Hart’s Chummy and Miriam Margolyes’ Mother Mildred. There’s even buzz about high-profile guest stars making an appearance, reports the Mirror.
An insider teased: “Joanna Lumley as a nun? Now that’s something I’d like to see.”
Set in 1972, the film will follow the nuns and nurses as they venture overseas, coinciding with the shift towards hospital births. They’ll be taking their expertise to exotic locales, with Hong Kong being the backdrop for this year’s two-part Christmas special and South Africa a potential setting, having previously been featured in 2016.
The beloved East End borough of Poplar and Nonnatus House will remain the beating heart of all new spins on the franchise.
Sources have been quick to clarify that these fresh ventures don’t spell the end for the original series, which they assure will return “in due course” once the new projects have wrapped up.
Executive producer Dame Pippa Harris shared her enthusiasm: “It now feels like the right time to expand our world and take our nuns and midwives onto the big screen with our movie, and back in time with the prequel.”
Series creator Heidi Thomas is brimming with tales for our favourite midwives, stating: “I have never run out of stories for our midwives, and I never will. But having wept, laughed, and raged my way from 1957 to 1971, I found myself yearning to delve into the deeper past.”
She paints a vivid picture of the upcoming prequel: “The Blitz years in the East End were extraordinary – filled with loss, togetherness, courage and joy. The bombs fell, the babies kept on coming, and the Sisters kept on going. There will be so much in the prequel for our wonderful, loyal fans, including the appearance of some familiar (if much younger! ) faces.”
And as for the movie, Thomas teases: “It seems the perfect time for our much-loved regulars to take a short break from Poplar and test themselves in an unfamiliar landscape. Changes in the NHS have clipped their wings, and this is their chance to take flight. Whilst the location remains top-secret, I can say it is going to look absolutely fantastic on the big screen.”
In January, the highly anticipated 15th series of Call the Midwife is set to premiere, transporting viewers back to 1971. The new season kicks off with some of the beloved characters embracing the women’s liberation movement by burning their bras outside the iconic Nonnatus House.
As the year progresses, the midwives and nuns tackle an array of challenging cases, including premature birth, placenta previa, kidney cancer, tuberculosis, and even slavery.
BBC drama boss Lindsay Salt shared her enthusiasm, stating: “Whether you’ve been watching from the very start or joined us for one of the more recent series, this is an incredibly exciting time to be a Call the Midwife fan.”
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