BBC announces two-part Call the Midwife Christmas treat

The BBC and Neal Street Productions have announced that Call the Midwife will celebrate Christmas for the first time this year with a two-part special coming to BBC iPlayer and BBC One over the festive period, co-produced with PBS.

The hugely popular series traditionally treats fans to a 90-minute Christmas special, but this year’s festive trip to Poplar will consist of two 60-minute episodes – complete with a Christmas cliffhanger! The Christmas special of Call the Midwife has repeatedly proven to be one of the most popular dramas on TV over the festive period, with last year’s special reaching 8.9 million viewers (28 day figure).

All the regular, beloved characters return for a Christmas set in 1969, where the midwives of Nonnatus are in their element, all busy delivering babies and doing the work they are most dedicated to. The fair comes to Poplar, adding a burst of color and excitement to the icy landscape, but there are other visitors to the district too, including the flu and Hong Kong flu. While Poplar also prepares for a Christmas concert, the neighborhood is gripped by the news of an escaped convict and fears grow that he may be in the area after a spate of burglaries. The Turner children get caught up in the fever surrounding the Blue Peter Christmas appeal to collect small cars and scrap metal. Trixie makes a fleeting visit to Nonnatus House and is delighted to see her brother Geoffrey, and Miss Higgins lets her grandson Harry stay for Christmas. Violet organizes a mince pie competition, but the Buckles’ preparations for Reggie’s homecoming are thrown into turmoil.

Heidi Thomas OBE, creator and writer says: “Who doesn’t love finding an extra, unexpected gift under the Christmas tree? When I was asked to write a two-part Christmas special for 2024, I couldn’t resist!”

Dame Pippa Harris, executive producer, said: “Viewers can enjoy a two-part festive treat for the first time this Christmas. Heidi has created an enchanting special that I know will delight our loyal fans.”

Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, said: “Call the Midwife has become one of British television’s most popular festive traditions, and this year we wanted to do even better with Call the Midwife’s biggest Christmas ever! Heidi and the team have put together an absolute treat, with two irresistible episodes packed with everything fans will love about this very special series over the Christmas period.

Production is already well underway on the next series of Call the Midwife, which consists of this year’s two Christmas specials, followed by eight new episodes launching in early 2025 on BBC iPlayer and BBC One in the UK, and on PBS in North -America. Another series – Call the Midwife’s fifteenth – has already been put into usemeaning the multi-award winning drama will be on air until at least 2026.

Regular recurring cast include: Judy Parfitt as Sister Monica Joan, Jenny Agutter as Sister Julienne, Laura Main as Shelagh Turner, Helen George as Trixie Aylward, Cliff Parisi as Fred Buckle, Stephen McGann as Dr Turner, Linda Bassett as Nurse Crane, Megan Cusack as Nancy Corrigan, Annabelle Apsion as Violet Buckle, Georgie Glen as Miss Higgins, Zephryn Taitte as Cyril Robinson, Rebecca Gethings as Sister Veronica, Daniel Laurie as Reggie Jackson, Renee Bailey as Joyce Highland, Natalie Quarry as Rosalind Clifford, Alice Brown as Angela Turner, Francesca Fullilove as Colette Corrigan, April Rae Hoang as May Tang and Edward Shaw as Teddy Turner.

Commissioned by Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, and Gaynor Holmes, Editor-in-Chief of BBC Drama, Call the Midwife is made by All3Media’s Neal Street Productions for the BBC in co-production with PBS. The series is created, written and executive produced by Heidi Thomas, executive produced by Pippa Harris, for Neal Street Productions, and Ann Tricklebank, who also serves as producer. Gaynor Holmes is the BBC’s executive producer. BBC Studios distributes Call the Midwife worldwide and has sold the series to more than 260 territories around the world.