Have you ever wondered what the Call The Midwife sisters got up to in their heyday? We’ve followed them through the 50s, 60s and 70s – but what about when they were just starting out in wartime east London? Well, we’re about to find out. The BBC have announced the show is heading in an exciting new direction, with the announcement of an emotional three-part prequel, Call The Midwife: Sisters In Arms – and a whole fresh cast.
It’s 1939 and the Second World War has broken out, with bombs falling over Poplar. At Nonnatus House, Sister Monica Joan, Sister Julienne and Sister Evangelina face unprecedented challenges as communities are reduced to rubble and women have to give birth underground in air-raid shelters.
With new cast members and a whole new era, here’s everything you need to know ahead of the prequel’s release this Christmas.
What’s Call The Midwife about?
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In case you haven’t seen it before, Call The Midwife is a heartwarming period drama that centres around Nonnatus House, a convent and nursing house run by the Sisters of St Raymond Nonnatus in London’s impoverished East End. Across 15 series, it’s followed the nuns and midwives as they’ve cared for mothers and babies throughout the 50s, 60s and 70s. It’s not just a comfort watch either, as it tackles hard-hitting themes and emotional storylines.
What will happen in Call The Midwife: Sisters In Arms?
BBC
If, like us, you’re still grieving the loss of Sister Monica Joan and the closure of Nonnatus House in the last series, we have some good news. The special three-part spin-off means we get to meet her again, when she was just starting out. She, Sister Julienne and Sister Evangelina will all be played by new cast members, while Jenny Agutter will return as an older Sister Julienne to narrate.
With the onslaught of the Second World War, as bombs rain down over London, Nonnatus House is a lifeline for the community. There are unimaginable difficulties at play – no penicillin, no gas and air, no cure for TB and no welfare state. Nevertheless, the young, zealous and caring Sister Monica Joan, Sister Julienne and Sister Evangelina are on the case, dedicating their lives to the community. They’re joined by GP Dr Kit Malhotra and Sister Alice to keep their corner of east London going.
‘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,’ Heidi Thomas, the series writer and creator told the BBC. ‘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?’
What changes will there be in Call The Midwife: Sisters In Arms?
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It’s a whole new era
Call The Midwife followed the sisters from 1957 through to the early 70s, but the prequel transports us to the height of the Blitz. As well as showing the huge challenges the East End faced, the series will celebrate women who were at the forefront of the wartime efforts, whose courage and compassion upheld entire communities.
There are new characters
In Call The Midwife: Sisters In Arms, we’re introduced to a variety of new faces. First off, we have three secular midwives – Sybil Maxted (Lizzie Black), Olive Dobbs (Ellie Mckay) and Marianne Seigler (Liv Andruiser). There are other characters we are going to meet, too, including Sister Alice (Julie Hesmondhalgh), local GP Dr Kit Malhotra (Baily Gill), and Tommy Moffat ( Martin McCann) and his wife Mary (Rachel O’Connell).
There’s the return of old characters – with different faces
As well as new characters, we get to see younger versions of the old ones. A young Sister Evangelina (Amy Booth-Steel) is in her element as a steadfast air raid warden. We also meet the younger versions of Sister Monica Joan (Helen Schlesinger), sister Julienne (Helena Wilson) and Dr Patrick Turner (Ben Rose). Kind-hearted handyman Fred Buckle (Ciaran Bowling) is in his 20s and volunteers as a fireman. Joining him is his wife, Betty (Ami Metcalf), who we know died during the Blitz – so we’re expecting a tearjerker of a storyline.
Who’s in the cast of Call The Midwife: Sisters In Arms?
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The cast of Call The Midwife: Sisters In Arms includes:
Julie Hesmondhalgh (Coronation Street, Mr Bates Vs The Post Office) as Sister Alice Amy Booth-Steel (Down Cemetery Road) as Sister Evangelina Helen Schlesinger (Ted Lasso) as Sister Monica Joan Helena Wilson as Sister JulienneBally Gill (Slow Horses, Sherwood) as Dr Kit Malhotra Martin McCann (Blue Lights, Hostage) as Tommy Moffat Rachel O’Connell (The Young Offenders, EastEnders) as Mary MoffatLiv Andrusier (The Witcher) as Marianne SieglerLizzie Back (Grantchester) as Sybil MaxtedEllie Mckay (Hijack) as Olive DobbsCiaran Bowling (Dune Prophecy) as Fred BuckleAmi Metcalf (Sister Boniface Mysteries, Doctors) as Betty BuckleBen Rose (This Town) as Dr Patrick TurnerWhat other period dramas can I watch now?
Channel 4
If you fancy a post-Blitz-Britain drama featuring a fantastic performance from Anna Maxwell Martin, we’d recommend The Bletchley Circle. The series follows four former Second World War codebreakers who solve murders and Anna is superb in it. You can watch The Bletchley Circle now on Channel 4.
If you’re a Stephen Graham fan, we’d suggest checking out his performance as Chief Inspector Heat in The Secret Agent. The series takes us back again to 1886 London, where Verloc (Toby Jones) is running a sex shop and secretly also being paid by the Russian Embassy to spy on an anarchist cell. The question is, can Heat uncover his secret? The Secret Agent is available to stream now on Netflix.