The BBC has revealed the upcoming release of a brand new Call the Midwife prequel TV series and film.

The announcement comes as production for series 15 of the popular BBC series gets underway.

Eight new hour-long episodes of Call the Midwife, set in the East End, will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from January 2026.

The new series (series 15) will follow a two-part Christmas special, which will be set in Hong Kong and Poplar.

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What to expect from series 15 of Call the Midwife

The BBC said the Call the Midwife Christmas special will see senior members of the Nonnatus House staff head to Hong Kong on a mercy mission, while the younger midwives are left to cope alone.

The broadcaster continued: "As the Christmas action shifts between the sun-drenched Far East and a snowy East End, Sister Julienne suddenly finds herself excited about the Order’s future.

"After years of battling change, she decides to embrace it, work with it, and see what love can do."

This "change of energy" then continues into series 15.

The BBC explains: "The new series kicks off in 1971 with several of the ladies embracing Women’s Lib and burning their bras outside Nonnatus House.

"As the year unfolds, we see the team handle cases including premature birth, placenta previa, kidney cancer, tuberculosis and slavery."

There are also already plans for a series 16, which will come in "due course".

Call the Midwife cast returning for series 15

The cast members returning for series 15 of Call the Midwife will be:

  • 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
  • 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
  • Molly Vevers as Sister Catherine
  • Max Macmillan as Timothy Turner
  • Alice Brown as Angela Turner
  • April Rae Hoang as May Tang
  • Edward Shaw as Teddy Turner

Regular cast members including Linda Bassett (Nurse Crane) and Helen George (Trixie Aylward) [both pictured] will be returning for series 15 of Call the Midwife.Regular cast members including Linda Bassett (Nurse Crane) and Helen George (Trixie Aylward) will be returning for series 15 of Call the Midwife. (Image: BBC / Neal Street Productions / Olly Courtney)

BBC announces Call the Midwife prequel series

Call the Midwife fans, it's time to get even more excited because the world of Nonnatus House will also be expanding.

A prequel TV series set in Poplar during World War II will be made for the BBC in 2026.

Call the Midwife film also planned

In addition to the two new TV series, Neal Street (production company), in development with BBC Film, is producing a Call the Midwife film.

The BBC said: "This will be set overseas in 1972 and feature iconic characters from the existing TV show."

The new projects will be written, created and produced by the all-female team behind the hugely successful current hit TV show:

  • Heidi Thomas (showrunner)
  • Pippa Harris (executive producer)
  • Ann Tricklebank (executive producer)

Heidi Thomas OBE said: “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.

"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."

Thomas continued: "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.

"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.

"Whilst the location of the film remains top-secret, I can say it is going to look absolutely fantastic on the big screen!”

Dame Pippa Harris DBE added: “We have all been delighted by the way in which audiences have continued to embrace Heidi’s imaginative and moving stories from Nonnatus House.

"In an increasingly competitive viewing environment not only have our loyal fans stayed with us for 14 years, but they’ve been joined by a new, younger generation who have also fallen in love with our characters and the challenges they face.

"Emboldened by this warmth and enthusiasm, now feels like the right time to expand our world and take our nuns and midwives onto the big screen with our movie, and back in time with the prequel!”

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Director of BBC Drama, Lindsay Salt, said: “Call the Midwife has been a jewel in the BBC’s crown for well over a decade, and this feels like the perfect time to further expand on the glorious, perfectly realised world that Heidi, Pippa, Annie and the team have created for the show’s millions of passionate and dedicated viewers.

"Whether you’ve been watching from the very start or joined us for one of the more recent series, this is an incredibly exciting time to be a Call the Midwife fan.”

Further details about the Call the Midwife prequel TV series and the film will be released later this year.