Call the Midwife creator Heidi Thomas is hinting at some major news regarding the BBC series’ first ever movie. The spin-off film, set to directly follow the events of the parent series, will take place in 1972 overseas as Thomas reveals one of three possible locations for the nuns and nurses’ upcoming adventures, all of which will be revealed in the season 15 finale.
Speaking to Radio Times, the creator teased Australia as a strong possible option for the film’s setting whilst also hinting at two other possibilities. “It’s not so much doubts [about Australia] but there are three options.
“One is Australia, and there are another two… I’ll keep under wraps for now,” Thomas teased, before going on to say that the season 15 finale would shed further light on where the Nonnatus’ gang will end up. “Sister Julienne names [all the possible locations], so we won’t keep people in suspense for very long.”
Very little has been shared to date about the upcoming film beyond the fact that the movie will centre around “iconic characters” from the main show. However no further cast details have been announced.
“As the classic Call the Midwife series moves further into the 1970s, it also seems the perfect time for our much-loved regulars to take a short break from Poplar and test themselves in an unfamiliar landscape,” Thomas said during the initial statement announcing the project.
“The rise in hospital births, and changes in the NHS, have clipped their wings, and this is their chance to take flight and work out what really matters… it is going to look absolutely fantastic on the big screen!”
PHOTOGRAPHER:Olly Courtney//BBC
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A Call the Midwife prequel series is also on its way. Set during World War II, the spin-off will follow the stories of the younger versions of core characters Sisters Julienne (Jenny Agutter), Evangelina (Pam Ferris) and Monica Joan (Judy Parfitt). Thomas told Radio Times, Monica Joan “actually isn’t that young when we did the maths, but she’s very much in her prime”.
The series will also include “three young midwives, all completely new, relatively new to the East End, and they really do get thrown in at the deep end”, she revealed.
Thomas shared: “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.”
Call the Midwife airs on BBC One and streams on BBC iPlayer.
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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. Â For six years she honed her analytical reviewing skills at the Good Housekeeping institute eventually becoming Acting Head of Food testing. Â 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.
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