While it had already been confirmed that Call the Midwife will absolutely be returning for season 16, there was an eerie end-of-an-era feeling about the way season 15 came to a close. The emotional passing of Sister Monica Joan (Judy Parfitt) had a crystallised finality to it. The gutting out of Dr Turner’s (Stephen McGann) maternity home from his GP practice felt more startling than imaginable, but the sign hanging in front of Nonnatus House announcing its closure (however temporary) felt awfully daunting.
In that same episode Sister Julienne (Jenny Agutter) announced that Nonnatus House would become a house of prayer and charity, while their next steps were figured out. Those next steps begin with three potential new medical missions in either the Gilbert and Ellice Islands (North of Fiji, between Australia and Hawaii), British Columbia (in Canada) or a remote part of Australia. Each option involving at least a year’s worth of missionary work abroad.
We know that this leg of the story will pick up in the Call the Midwife film, which will be “set in 1972, possibly 1973”, Thomas told Yours, but there is no official release date for that just yet. Sister Julienne concluded her speech by asking the forlorn-looking team (as many as were able) to please stay with them during the uncertain times ahead, but the Nonnatus crew looked understandably battered.
So now if you’re wondering (or borderline panicking) about what that means for the fate of your dear beloved BBC series, then that’s completely understandable. Here’s what we do know about the future of Call the Midwife.
BBC
Is Call the Midwife returning for season 16?
All good things – even outstanding BBC dramas that only get better with time – must come to an end, but thankfully Call the Midwife has not reached that end just yet. As mentioned above, the nursing period drama will be returning for season 16 but the question of when it will return may be a bit more difficult to answer.
Call the Midwife has fallen into a steady rhythm of releasing a new season each new year in January, however it has been confirmed that there will be delay to this schedule to make room for the production of the hotly-anticipated Call the Midwife prequel series (coming this Christmas, later in 2026) as well as the the Call the Midwife movie.
Speaking to Yours at the TV Choice Awards about the delayed season 16, showrunner Heidi Thomas told the publication: “I don’t think it’s the last series in the classic form… But we are going to take a break from it for a couple of years.”
BBC
What will happen to Nonnatus House and the cast in season 16 of Call the Midwife?
As for who will be returning to the franchise after this hiatus, Trixie actor Helen George gave the fandom cause for concern when she told Radio Times that the new season wouldn’t be the same “with different characters leaving and whatever”.
More change is also on the horizon, as Thomas also shared what fans could expect for the future of the Nonnatus crew on the ground after their overseas mission. Speaking to Yours, Thomas said that the series would “return to the current style” after the events of the film, but perhaps with a bit of a twist.
“Series 16 will have a slightly different setting because of changes in NHS,” said Thomas. “It’ll still be in the East End of London but possibly something like a small community hospital or a GP practice, but that’s something I’ll be working on later this year.”
BBC
Who will be in the Call the Midwife movie?
While it’s not certain who of the existing cast will be along for the season 16 ride, Thomas did offer some comfort with regards to the cast turn out for the movie. The showrunner confirmed that the film would involve “most of the current cast”. This is encouraging, given that the season finale made it impossible to envisage how anyone outside of the order could possibly return.
Despite Sister Julienne’s plea for unity, it doesn’t feel feasible for many of the characters to stay on. The pregnant newlywed Rosalind Robinson (Natalie Quarry) and her husband Cyril will have their new family to contend with. Not to mention Helen George’s Trixie, who has just successfully negotiated her way into acquiring 55 percent of the Lady Emily Clinic for Women and Babies, after gaining a seat on the board of the Aylward estate.
This means she has not only landed a new job as the clinic’s Matron, she will be running the show. One would expect this, and her responsibilities as a wife and mother, will keep her tethered to Poplar, at least for the time being.
BBC
She is not the only one who is flying the Nonnatus coup, as nurse Joyce Highland has just accepted an Acting Sister role at St Cuthberts hospital, meaning the gang is well and truly scattered.
As scary as this all sounds for fans, we trust in Thomas to find a way to wrangle them back in line for this new adventure. As for what will happen beyond that, the fandom will just have to exercise a bit of patience and hope.
BBC
While things may feel up in the air, there is still plenty to look forward to in the Call the Midwife universe with the prequel series in particular following the early years of Sisters Julienne, Monica Joan and Evangelina. And while change may feel a bit jarring, if there’s one thing Call the Midwife excels at, it is reinvention and engaging storytelling.
Whatever changes, those rich narratives that drew fans to the franchise in the first place will always remain. Even if it does look slightly different.
With that in mind, there is nothing left to do but trust the writers, and the team behind the scenes, who seemed to be speaking to the fandom through Sister Julienne when she said: “All will be well, I promise you.”
She may have been talking to the Nonnatus crew, but something about her tone felt encouragingly for the fans.
Call the Midwife airs on BBC One and streams on BBC iPlayer.
Read more Call the Midwife news on our dedicated homepage
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TV writer, Digital Spy Janet completed her Masters degree in Magazine Journalism in 2013 and has continued to grow professionally within the industry ever since. For six years she honed her analytical reviewing skills at the Good Housekeeping institute eventually becoming Acting Head of Food testing. She also freelanced in the field of film and TV journalism from 2013-2020, when she interviewed A-List stars such as Samuel L Jackson, Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson. In 2021 she joined Digital Spy as TV writer where she gets to delve into more of what she loves, watching copious amounts of telly all in the name of work. Since taking on the role she has conducted red carpet interviews with the cast of Bridgerton, covered the BAFTAs and been interviewed by BBC Radio and London Live. In her spare time she also moonlights as a published author, the book Gothic Angel.