Call the Midwife has shared the update fans have been waiting for. The beloved period drama is set to return with a new prequel series titled Sisters in Arms, and filming has already commenced on a three-part Christmas special. Further details about a full-length series will be announced in due course.
A Look Back at the Original Series
Since its 2012 debut, the much-loved period drama has captivated audiences with compelling stories of childbirth, social struggles, medical advances in the NHS, deprivation, and life-threatening health conditions. Adapted from the memoirs of renowned nurse and midwife Jennifer Worth, the show was initially set in 1957, when the National Health Service was still a relatively new concept. The fifteenth series was set 14 years on and exhibited developments in medical science and practice as reforms to the NHS threatened Nonnatus House with closure. Set in 1971, the season finale also revealed the passing of beloved nun Sister Monica Joan (played by Judy Parfitt), reducing fans to tears.
What to Expect from Sisters in Arms
Helmed by the current Call the Midwife creative team—showrunner Heidi Thomas with executive producers Pippa Harris and Ann Tricklebank, who also produces—the prequel features some well-known Call the Midwife characters as their younger selves and is narrated, as the older Sister Julienne, by Jenny Agutter. Set in September 1939, Sister Monica Joan is in her prime, Sister Julienne and Sister Evangelina are young and zealous, and Nonnatus House is the beating heart of Poplar. Together with Sister Alice and local GP Dr Kit, the nuns dedicate their lives to mothers, babies, and the poor. But there is no gas and air, no penicillin, no cure for TB, and no welfare state. Then war is declared—and life gets even harder. The three young secular midwives who complete the team—Sybil, Olive, and Marianne—receive a baptism of fire as the blackout and the Blitz take hold.
Cast and Characters
Coronation Street legend Julie Hesmondhalgh will guest star as Sister Alice alongside Doctor Who's Amy Booth-Steel, who takes on the role of Sister Evangelina. Helen Schlesinger plays Sister Monica Joan, and Helena Wilson portrays Sister Julienne. Dr Kit Malhotra is played by Bally Gill. Martin McCann guest stars as Tommy Moffat, with Rachel O'Connell as his wife Mary. Marianne Siegler is played by Liv Andrusier, Sybil Maxted by Lizzie Back, and Olive Dobbs by Ellie Mckay. Ciaran Bowling stars as Fred Buckle, Ami Metcalf as his wife Betty, and Ben Rose as Dr Patrick Turner.
Where to Watch
Call the Midwife is available to stream on BBC iPlayer. The new prequel series Sisters in Arms is highly anticipated and promises to deliver the same emotional depth and historical insight that fans have come to love.
