'Call The Midwife' creators confirm film and prequel series are in the works
7 May 2025, 11:17 | Updated: 7 May 2025, 11:23
'Call The Midwife' fans are in for a treat as it is announced that the hit BBC series will be adapted into a film, as well as a prequel series set during World War II.
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Call The Midwife, which stars the likes of Judy Parfitt, Jenny Agutter, Laura Main and Helen George, is not only returning for a 15th series (which is in the process of filming) but will also be adapted into a film, as well as a spin-off prequel.
The BBC announced on May 6, 2025, that creator Heidi Thomas will collaborate alongside executive producers Dame Pippa Harris and Ann Tricklebank on the stories for the prequel and the film.
While the Call The Midwife film will be set in an "undisclosed overseas location" in 1972, the prequel series will be set during the Second World War - and both will feature characters from the existing series as well as new faces.
Heidi Thomas says the follow-up series will "delve into the deeper past", and will reflect the lives of those in Poplar, East London, during The Blitz.
She said that while she has "never run out of stories for our midwives", she had found herself "yearning to delve into the deeper past", outside of the years between 1957 and 1971, when the original show has been set.
"The opening of new doors at Nonnatus House feels profoundly emotional, and yet just right," Thomas said about the upcoming projects: "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. 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!”
Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, said: “Call the Midwife has been a jewel in the BBC’s crown for well over a decade, and this feels like the perfect time to further expand on the glorious, perfectly realised world that Heidi, Pippa, Annie and the team have created for the show’s millions of passionate and dedicated viewers. 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.”
Meanwhile, the 15th series of Call The Midwife is currently in production, with filming kicking off very recently. It will begin with a two-part Christmas special and will follow the beloved characters as they travel to Hong Kong.
