The BBC and Neal Street have announced that production has commenced on series 15 of Call the Midwife, in co-production with PBS. The new series will include a two-part Christmas Special set in Hong Kong and Poplar, followed by eight new hour-long episodes set in the East End, airing on BBC iPlayer and BBC One from January 2026.
In the Christmas Special, senior Nonnatus House staff head to Hong Kong on a mercy mission, leaving younger midwives to cope alone. Sister Julienne finds herself excited about the Order's future and decides to embrace change. Series 15 kicks off in 1971, with several characters embracing Women's Lib and burning their bras outside Nonnatus House. Cases include premature birth, placenta previa, kidney cancer, tuberculosis and slavery.
An exciting new development is the expansion of the Call the Midwife universe. A prequel TV series set in Poplar during World War Two will be made for the BBC in 2026. Additionally, Neal Street, in development with BBC Film, is producing a Call the Midwife film set overseas in 1972, featuring iconic characters from the existing show.
The new projects will be written and produced by the all-female team behind the current series: showrunner Heidi Thomas and executive producers Pippa Harris and Ann Tricklebank. Heidi Thomas said: 'The opening of new doors at Nonnatus House feels profoundly emotional... The Blitz years in the East End were extraordinary - filled with loss, togetherness, courage and joy.'
Dame Pippa Harris added: 'We have all been delighted by the way in which audiences have continued to embrace Heidi's imaginative and moving stories... now feels like the right time to expand our world.' Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, called the show 'a jewel in the BBC's crown'. Further details about the prequel and film will be released later this year.
