Julie Hesmondhalgh and Bally Gill are among the guest stars in a new Call The Midwife prequel series which will chronicle the early days of Nonnatus House.
Call The Midwife: Sisters In Arms
Call The Midwife: Sisters In Arms will explore the origins of the east London convent run by nurses, midwives, and Anglican nuns from the original hit series, set amid the backdrop of the Second World War and the Blitz.
The BBC has announced that filming has begun for the three-part Christmas special, which will feature a number of celebrity guest stars including Helen Schlesinger and Martin McCann.
Setting and Plot
Set in 1939, the series will explore the impact of the Second World War on those running Nonnatus House and dedicating their lives to mothers, babies and the poor.
Emmy-winning actress Jenny Agutter, who stars in Call The Midwife as Sister Julienne, will narrate the special episodes as the older version of her character while Helena Wilson will portray her younger counterpart.
A younger Sister Monica Joan, played in the original series by Judy Parfitt, will be portrayed by TV actress Schlesinger while Amy Booth-Steel, known for appearing in Down Cemetery Road, will feature as a young Sister Evangelina.
Ben Rose will portray a juvenile Dr Patrick Turner, while a youthful Fred Buckle and his wife Betty will be played by Ciaran Bowling and Ami Metcalf, respectively.
Guest Stars and Characters
Broadchurch star Hesmondhalgh will appear as Sister Alice, who is among those running the nunnery, while Slow Horses actor Gill will play local GP Dr Kit Malhotra.
Blue Lights star McCann will also make a guest appearance as Tommy Moffat and The Young Offenders actress Rachel O'Connell will play his wife Mary.
Other guest stars include Liv Andrusier as Marianne Siegler, Lizzie Back who will play Sybil Maxted and Ellie McKay as Olive Dobbs.
Creative Team and Reactions
The spin-off will be helmed by the Call The Midwife creative team including showrunner, creator and writer Heidi Thomas – who hailed the new show as a joy to write.
Thomas continued: Having loved and lived with the sisters of Nonnatus House for so many years, I found myself longing to turn the clock back and tell the story of their finest hour – the Blitz.
Who were Sister Monica Joan, Sister Julienne, and Sister Evangelina, when they were young? What did they do, how did they survive, and how did the conflict change them?
Above all else, Call The Midwife: Sisters In Arms is about what happens when women go to war. It is about love and birth, separation and courage, lipstick and nylons (or the lack thereof).
But it is also a medical drama, set in a devastating landscape where even the nurses cannot know if they will live till morning.
Thomas also told of how emotional it was to see Sister Monica Joan back on her bike and returning to screens after her character died from chronic kidney disease in the 15th series of Call The Midwife.
She added: Sisters In Arms has been a joy to write – like returning to the family home and finding all the people I have ever loved made young again and filled with new energy.
I can't wait to start filming and look forward to sharing our new show with Call The Midwife's fantastic fans.
Dame Pippa Harris, an executive producer on the show, said: It's thrilling to watch Heidi Thomas create a series which I know will delight our loyal Call The Midwife audience, as well as drawing in new viewers.
It echoes the original through its blend of engrossing medical stories, wit, and pathos, while the backdrop of World War Two adds a completely fresh layer of tension and jeopardy to the drama.
Heidi's extraordinary skill with character and story means viewers are in for a real treat this Christmas.
