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Irish Times
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Who you gonna call? Time for the Midwife Cinematic Universe to shine
As pitches go, it sounds familiar. A large, evolving cast of characters is anchored by a group of noble, dedicated heroes equipped with uniforms, custom vehicles and superpowers. In each instalment they unite to defeat common enemies, battle new threats and save humanity. Since 2012, when they made their screen debut, they have been drawn into frequent races against time in which the stakes are all too clear. They don't always wear capes, but they often have one on standby. Look, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has had a good run, but we have the (Call the) Midwife Cinematic Universe now. Who needs Iron Man when there's Sister Monica Joan? She's much more fun. That's possibly not the rationale behind the BBC's decision, announced this week, to commission both a Call the Midwife feature film and a spin-off prequel series set during the second World War. READ MORE Still, these baby steps towards transforming a television ratings magnet into a midwifery-based franchise – a new MCU – are intriguing. Has the series up to the end of the 15th season, spanning the years 1957 to 1971, which will be shown in 2026, merely been Phase One in the Maternity Saga? I think we need to be told. There are a few unknowns here and a few misconceptions. I groan when I recall the continuity announcer who introduced one episode with the words 'and now for something more sedate'. The process of bringing this hit Sunday-night period drama to the big screen will inevitably be compared to the journey made by Downton Abbey, but Call the Midwife is a very different beast. RTÉ One is still on the 13th season, with next week's episode serving up a fairly typical mix of tetanus, slum landlords and destabilising grief. The 14th run, which aired on BBC One earlier this year, was notable for the loss of Nigel the beloved cat, which admittedly sounds like the ultimate teatime plot until you learn he has succumbed to Weil's disease, an infection spread by rat urine, and that Nurse Rosalind is also starting to feel a touch unwell. Call the Midwife surfaces the miseries and outrages of the 20th century in a way few other programmes do. I'm still getting over a fifth-season episode that featured both a string of vicious street attacks on women and a kitchen-floor uterine inversion that really should have been avoided, even in 1961. The first episode of series nine, which aired in the innocent month of January 2020, was another roller coaster. It gave us bed bugs, diphtheria, a callous priest, a baby found in a dustbin and, for light relief, the death of Winston Churchill. In the 12th season, set in 1968, handyman Fred and haberdashery owner Violet argue about a tin of bright purple paint, which seems innocuous, yet before the end credits it has been used to daub xenophobic signs on a racist march stoked by Enoch Powell's Rivers of Blood speech. A Call The Midwife film and prequel TV series set during the second World War are being made, the BBC has announced. Photograph: BBC But the Christmas specials, those will be all heartwarming carols and uplifting festive births, right? Not quite. The 2021 edition, for instance, found space for intrapartum haemorrhage, infant heroin withdrawal and the treatment of a swollen eye with leeches. This episode was swiftly followed by one in which Nurse Nancy, played by the Irish actor Megan Cusack, has a surprise encounter with a gangrenous leg. None of this is to say that Call the Midwife isn't heartwarming and uplifting. Nor does it undercut its achievement to conclude that however stark and grim its depictions of societal problems, the reality of mid-century life in Poplar, in east London, was almost certainly less kind. But the secret of its enduring popularity isn't complicated. It's set in a world of disease, deprivation and rampant property development in which women work with other women, and some men, to make things just a little better. And, despite its many traumas, the show isn't visually graphic. It doesn't need to be – it's all there in the writing. Heidi Thomas, who created it, doesn't seem to be short of ideas about how to extend its life, notwithstanding the fact that the order of nuns at its heart no longer practised midwifery in that part of London after 1976. [ The Marvel Cinematic Universe used to be pretty cool. Why is it sliding towards mediocrity? Opens in new window ] The regular series – which will have a 16th season 'in due course' – is already a powerful reminder that even in the most chaotic of circumstances, amid the most indifferent of external forces, babies continue to be born. A wartime prequel, with bombs raining down, can reinforce that theme. It is, after all, one that remains dismally relevant today. Meanwhile, the cast will be hotfooting it out of Poplar for their big feature debut. If I had to guess, I'd say it will lure an audience to cinemas at least as fast as a guest character with the line 'I'm not having the baby in the lift' will have her baby in the lift.
The Sun
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Call the Midwife viewers left concerned as popular show star ‘disappears' from set – after new series is confirmed
CALL the Midwife fans have been left scratching their heads after a familiar face was noticeably missing from the first look pictures at the new series. Fans of the BBC drama fear the beloved character has quietly quit the show just as a brand new series is confirmed. 6 6 Call the Midwife will be back to warm our hearts this Christmas - with a festive special confirmed before the beloved drama returns for its 15th series in 2026. The show's official Instagram page dropped a behind-the-scenes snap from the yuletide episode, showing fan favourites Helen George, Laura Main, Stephen McGann and Linda Bassett all smiles in snowy Nonnatus House scenes. The caption read: "NEWS! ! ! Call the Midwife Cast Begins Filming For Series 15! It's official - our team are back in Poplar! !" "We are delighted to announce the commencement of filming for our fifteenth series of Call the Midwife – and this year our traditional first-scene clapperboard shot is something a bit special, with a fine group of cast members present for the start of Christmas Special recording! 🎅🎄 "Oh, and of course, filming Christmas means… another heatwave in the UK!! Once more, our long-suffering team are laying down snow whilst wearing sunglasses ❄️ 😎 "And our cast can look sweaty-chic in those five layers of winter clothing…. 😆 "The mood is FANTASTIC on set, however, as our team are about to film an INCREDIBLE new Christmas story! "There is just so much to tell about this year's festive drama… but all we can say right now is that there are distant troubles, wild celebrations, new beginnings, sad reunions… and a few sore heads! "We just can't WAIT to show you this one… xx Call the Midwife returns with a new Christmas Special, and Series 15 in 2026 xx" Fans of the period drama were quick to share their excitement over the show's return. Call the Midwife Location Tour in Chatham But eagle-eyed viewers couldn't help noticing one familiar face missing. Judy Parfitt, who plays the iconic Sister Monica Joan, was nowhere to be seen in the festive snap, sparking fears she may have quietly bowed out of the show. Taking to the comment section, one user wrote: "Where is Sister Monica Joan?" Another added: "That's what I'm worried about." Call The Midwife: A breakdown Call The Midwife first came onto the airwaves in 2012 and has been seen by millions. But what is it about? Series one: Set in early 1957 and it explored the 'Baby Boom generation, which included themes of poverty and post-war immigration. Series two: Set in 1958 and it showed gas and air being introduced for pain relief for the first time. It ended with the Nonnatus House building being condemned. Series three: Set in 1959 and it depicted gruesome conditions such as cystic fibrosis, polio and it showed the midwives in the context on prisons. Series four: Set in 1960 under the threat of nuclear warfare and the emergency response guidelines issued by the local Civil Defence Corp. Other themes included LGBT rights, and syphilis. Series five: Set in 1961 and it shows the care of patients with conditions such as Typhoid and strokes. We also saw the effects of thalidomide, the introduction of the contraceptive pill. Series six: Set in 1962 and domestic violence was at the centre of the season. Other themes included FGM (female genital mutilation), mental health issues and interracial marriage. It was also notable for the introduction of Reggie, a recurring character with Down Syndrome. Series seven: Set in 1963 and we see Nurse Lucille Anderson for the first time. We also see the show address conditions such as dementia, huntington's disease, leprosy and meningitis Series eight: Set in 1964 and it bravely covered the issue of abortion, which was not legal for another three years in 1967. Sickle cell disease, cleft lip, cleft palate and intersex people also featured. Series nine: Diptheria was at the centre of the ninth instalment in 1965, and it was notable for featuring a blind expectant mother. But the role of Nonnatus House within the community also came into question. Series ten: Set in 1966, Nonnatus House has a rival in the form of the private Lady Emily Clinic in Mayfair. PKU, diabetes and the controversy surrounding abortion were central themes. Series eleven: Set in 1967 amid the housing crisis and a scabies epidemic. The show was rocked by a train crash right next to Nonnatus House. A third penned: "WHERE IS SISTER MONICA JOAN? ? ? ? ? ? DONT SCARE ME LIKE THIS" The 89-year-old actress has been on the show since it launched in 2012. She made her film debut in the 1950s, followed by a supporting role in the BBC television serial David Copperfield. Judy also appeared as Queen Gertrude in Tony Richardson's 1969 film adaptation of Hamlet. Judy found love with her husband, the late actor Tony Steedman, after the pair worked together on a stage play at Birmingham's Alexandra Theatre back in 1960. Bonded by their shared passion for the craft, Judy and Tony built impressive careers on both sides of the Atlantic - from the West End to Hollywood blockbusters. Tony he landed roles in War & Peace (1972-1973), The Thirty Nine Steps (1978) and Scrooged (1988). Among his best known roles, Tony starred alongside Keanu Reeves as Socrates in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1988), and he also portrayed Jasper DeKimmel in Golden Girls. Tony sadly passed away after being diagnosed with vascular dementia. Having lovingly cared for him throughout his illness, Judy became a vocal advocate for dementia awareness - even using her beloved Call The Midwife character to highlight the struggles faced by those living with the condition. Sister Monica was suffering from dementia in the series, and she previously said: "Having watched my husband, the actor Tony Steedman, succumb to this terrible disease over ten years, depicting Sister Monica Joan's condition is still an extremely important aspect of the role to me." Call The Midwife is available to watch on BBC iPlayer. 6 6 6 6
