What we know about the Call the Midwife film
Call the Midwife fans have got treat after treat lined up over the coming months - confirmation of a movie has been added to announcements on the new series, Christmas special and 1940s-set prequel.
It's long been a much anticipated fixture in the BBC's TV schedules, and now viewers will be able to enjoy a feature-length tale that sets the familiar faces from Nonnatus House in an overseas location.
Here's all we know so far – and what we don't yet know – about Call the Midwife the movie.
Yes! The exciting news for all Call the Midwife fans is that there is definitely a film version in the works, after confirmation from the BBC in May 2025.
An announcement from the BBC read: "In an exciting new development, the world of Nonnatus House will also be expanding. A prequel TV series set in Poplar during World War Two will be made for the BBC in 2026. In addition, Neal Street, in development with BBC Film, are producing a Call the Midwife film. This will be set overseas in 1972 and feature iconic characters from the existing TV show."
As well as the news that the film version will be set in the 1970s and outside of the UK, we know that the show's creator Heidi Thomas is on board to make it, along with executive producers Pippa Harris and Ann Tricklebank.
Just like the TV series, the film gets an all-female lead team to make it and Thomas hinted at the storyline, as well as the "top-secret" location.
She said: "As the classic Call the Midwife series moves further into the 1970s, it also seems the perfect time for our much-loved regulars to take a short break from Poplar and test themselves in an unfamiliar landscape.
"The rise in hospital births, and changes in the NHS, have clipped their wings, and this is their chance to take flight and work out what really matters. Whilst the location of the film remains top-secret, I can say it is going to look absolutely fantastic on the big screen."
Harris added they were looking forward to rewarding loyal fans with a new story: "Not only have our loyal fans stayed with us for 14 years, but they've been joined by a new, younger generation who have also fallen in love with our characters and the challenges they face. Emboldened by this warmth and enthusiasm, 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!"
Director of BBC Drama Lindsay Salt called it "an incredibly exciting time to be a Call the Midwife fan", while director of BBC Film Eva Yates said: "Call the Midwife has always brilliantly explored the issues and experiences of women across history and it is with great excitement that we are joining Pippa and Heidi in expanding the Midwife universe to bring these wonderful characters onto the big screen."
As yet, no release date has been given for the film so it could be a while until fans can book their cinema tickets.
Thomas is keeping details of the location tightly under wraps, and other than the suggestion that the midwives will use their trip abroad to reflect on their aims in life, not much else has been released about the storyline.
We do know that some of the current cast will feature, but we're not yet sure who. Show stars set to return for series 16 in 2026 are Judy Parfitt as Sister Monica Joan, Jenny Agutter as Sister Julienne, Laura Main as Shelagh Turner, Helen George as Trixie Aylward, Cliff Parisi as Fred Buckle, and Stephen McGann as Dr Turner.
The new series also includes returning stars Linda Bassett as Nurse Crane, Annabelle Apsion as Violet Buckle, Georgie Glen as Miss Higgins, Zephryn Taitte as Cyril Robinson, Rebecca Gethings as Sister Veronica, Daniel Laurie as Reggie Jackson, Renee Bailey as Joyce Highland, Natalie Quarry as Rosalind Clifford, Molly Vevers as Sister Catherine, Max Macmillan as Timothy Turner, Alice Brown as Angela Turner, April Rae Hoang as May Tang and Edward Shaw as Teddy Turner.
The Call the Midwife Christmas special has become traditional festive viewing in recent years, so of course it is set to take centre stage in the Christmas schedules later this year.
Details of the two-part Christmas special have revealed a double location for the story - with the action set both at home in Poplar, and abroad in Hong Kong as some of the staff head out on a mercy mission.
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As usual, the Christmas specials will move seamlessly on into a new full season, with series 16 currently filming and set to air in January 2026.
There's also a prequel series with a new, younger cast on the way, which was announced by the BBC at the same time as the film.
Showrunner Thomas said: "The opening of new doors at Nonnatus House feels profoundly emotional, and yet just right. 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.
"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."
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