Call the Midwife returns for double-episode Christmas special and series 14

BBC bosses have announced popular drama Call The Midwife will return for a double-episode Christmas special this year, ahead of the upcoming new series in 'early 2025', which steps into the 70s for the first time.

It's also been announced series 15 has now been commissioned — meaning Call The Midwife fans can enjoy 1970s Poplar for at least a couple more years.

When does Call the Midwife start?

Production is now well underway for series 14 of Call The Midwife and it's been confirmed it will arrive on telly in early 2025, with previous years seeing the first episode drop on the first week of January. This will follow the Christmas special, which will air on Christmas Day.

Weekly episodes usually follow every Sunday evening.

What channel is it on?

The Christmas special and series 14 will air on BBC One, with episodes also available on the BBC iPlayer.

How many episodes will be in the new series?

There will be eight new episodes in series 14.

What is series 14 about?

Call the Midwife bosses posted on their official social media pages in September this year, telling fans:

'As our team race through filming for Series 14, they have had reasons to leave the film studio, and head for locations in the sprawling London metropolis.

'This isn't something new for us - although it's often been tricky for us to achieve. As you might imagine, not much of the old Poplar remains - being transformed by post-war town planning and urban slum clearance. Locations have had to be carefully chosen, and allowances made for the busy traffic and noise of the capital! For that reason, we usually film our exterior shots in the familiar, age-appropriate, and more congenial surroundings of the Historic Dockyard in Chatham, Kent.

'As the years roll by, however, our needs have begun to change. Series 14 is now in 1970 - a time when much of the old brick terraces of Poplar had already disappeared - to be replaced by imposing concrete high-rise flats and rapid road building. It was now the height of urban post-war modernism - yet our nurses and midwives were still tasked with their traditional role of care in the community. Their task of navigating warrens of grimy victorian slums had been replaced by the need to visit mothers on high floors - whether the lifts were working or not!

'This photo taken from a location in London perfectly illustrates the changing look of Call the Midwife through the years. Rebecca Gethings (Sister Veronica) is filming a scene on her rounds in the district - but the landscape now is very different from the Blitz-damaged landscape that we first saw in Series 1.

'Yet we think the most important aspect of the picture is not the background, but Rebecca herself. She is wearing the same Nonnatus habit our sisters have always worn. She is performing the same duty of care to her mothers that we saw in Series 1. While the landscape changes - and even the mode of transport changes! - the work of the Nonnatus House sisters does not. A mother will always need her midwife - no matter how high she may now live, or how many stairs there may be to reach her. xx

'Call the midwife returns with a new Christmas Special, and Series 14 in 2025 xx'

When is the Call the Midwife Christmas special?

As well as having series 14 to look forward to in early 2025, before that fans get to watch the 2024 Christmas special, which is airing on Christmas Day - and this year, for the first time ever, it will be a double episode.

Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, says: “Call the Midwife has become one of UK television’s most popular festive traditions, and this year we wanted to go even better with Call the Midwife’s biggest Christmas ever! Heidi and the team have lined up an absolute treat, with two irresistible episodes packed full of everything fans will love about this very special series at Christmas time.”

In an exciting post uploaded to Instagram in October, fans got a sneak preview of upcoming scenes, which see Nurse Crane (Linda Bassett) appearing to be offering a pinky promise to her fellow midwives. The picture is captioned: 'Does she have a promise to make with her co-stars Laura Main (Shelagh) and Judy Parfitt (Sr Monica Joan)? And will it involve cake? ;-).

'There's very much a feeling of approaching the finishing line on set - and then comes the best part - showing YOU what we've been up to! The year is now 1970 - the world has changed in many ways, but the babies keep coming, and the need for the Nonnatuns is still all too obvious. x

'1970 in Poplar will be bringing you all the joy, tears, warmth, humour and heartache you'd expect from our community. Pinky promise!

'Call the Midwife returns with a brand new Christmas Special, and Series 14 in 2025 xx'.

Will there be any more series?

Yes! After series 14 had already previously been announced, BBC bosses delighted fans by confirming the show had been renewed for series 15, meaning Call the Midwife will be on our screens until 2026.

Creator Heidi Thomas said of the exciting news: "We are a family behind the scenes, on the screen, and in front of the telly, and I'm thrilled that we're all heading into the 1970s together."

Dame Pippa Harris, Executive Producer added: “15 series is a tremendous achievement and it’s a testament to the passion and dedication of our cast and crew, of whom I’m very proud. But the show wouldn’t be the phenomenal success it is without the formidable presence of our creator and writer Heidi Thomas. Her continued devotion to the characters and determination to tell the untold stories of women is truly inspiring. I can’t wait to see what she has in store for us and our extremely loyal audience in the future!”

Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama also said of the news: “Call The Midwife's enduring popularity is thanks to the extraordinary creative talents and hard work of creator Heidi Thomas, executive producers Pippa Harris and Ann Tricklebank, and the series' dedicated cast and crew. I know they have many more stories to tell - and that the residents of Nonnatus House have many more babies to deliver - so I'm delighted that Call the Midwife will continue on BBC One and iPlayer for more years to come."

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How can I watch old episodes of Call the Midwife?

All past episodes of Call the Midwife are available on the BBC iPlayer now.

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