Call the Midwife has been warming the hearts of BBC viewers for almost 15 years. After launching way back in 2012, the show has become an important thread in the channel's tapestry — from its role as a "love letter to the NHS," it also highlights the power and resilience of the human spirit, and is a poster child for compassion and community.
Based on the memoirs of Jennifer Worth, a legendary nurse and midwife, the show was originally set in the 1950s. The episodes took place in the East End of London, and followed a group of nurse-midwives and Anglican nuns who were dedicated to providing care to women and families.
Now well into its 15th season — and set two decades on in the 1970s, with its central storyline based around the Women's Liberation Movement — Call the Midwife is showing no signs of slowing down. If anything, the show is producing even more wholesome content, as the show's creator, Heidi Thomas, recently shared an exciting update about a much-anticipated spin-off series.
While we know that there's a 16th season, two Christmas specials, and a feature film to come, there's also a prequel in the works. Here, we unpack everything Thomas has said about the latter, including who the main characters will be.
Here's everything you need to know.
Will there be a Call the Midwife prequel?
Yes. A Call the Midwife prequel has been confirmed by the BBC.
The broadcaster released a statement in 2025, saying: "The BBC would like to reassure fans that Call the Midwife will remain at the heart of the BBC for years to come.
"As previously announced, there are two Christmas specials, a new series, a film and prequel series, before a sixteenth series in due course. Call the Midwife isn't going anywhere." Phew!
When will the Call the Midwife prequel air?
CONFIRMED: The Call the Midwife prequel spin-off will air this December on BBC One ahead of the 16th season.
We'll update you right here with an exact date as soon as we know.
What can viewers expect from the Call the Midwife Prequel?
Heidi Thomas recently shared some exciting details about the new prequel spin-off, including who will play three of the main characters.
The show, which will be set during the Second World War (the OG Call the Midwife takes place later in the 1950s, remember), will follow younger versions of Sister Julienne, Sister Evangelina, and Sister Monica Joan — played by Jenny Agutter, Pam Ferris, and Judy Parfitt in the main series. Thomas noted that Sister Monica Joan "isn't that young when we did the maths, but she's very much in her prime."
There will also be new characters, including "three young midwives, all completely new, relatively new to the East End, and they really do get thrown in at the deep end."
Thomas added to Radio Times: "I think the interesting thing for me is it's a world where women are not in charge when war breaks out, but very rapidly, they are in charge of everything because the men are called away, either to Home Front-based war work or they go overseas. So you'll see a lot of women coming into their own ... it's a programme that is going to be about strong women above all else."
Previously, Thomas hinted at what's to come in the prequel, saying she was "yearning to delve into the deeper past."
She shared: "The opening of new doors at Nonnatus House feels profoundly emotional, and yet just right. 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," she said at the time.
"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."
Who will be in the Call the Midwife prequel cast?
It's still early days, so the cast for the spin-off has yet to be announced. Since the series began in 2012, Dame Vanessa Redgrave has provided the iconic voiceover for Call the Midwife, narrating as the mature Jennifer Worth (née Lee). Her voice has become synonymous with the show, seamlessly connecting the stories from the 1950s to the 1970s.
There has been some discussion about whether she will return for the prequel or if a new narrator will take over, as the spin-off is set in an earlier period. Only time will tell.
Again, we'll update you right here once we know more.
Call The Midwife season 15 is currently airing on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
