Explore the latest developments concerning Call the Midwife.
Call the Midwife creator reveals why there won’t be the "traditional" Christmas special in 2026
"This is just a lovely opportunity for us to press pause…"
While it has already been confirmed that Call the Midwife will be returning for season 16 following the prequel series and the show's first movie, it will not be Christmas as usual in 2026, as revealed by its creator.
Heidi Thomas, who has been bringing stories about the midwives and nuns of London's East End to screens since 2012, announced the change to RadioTimes.com and other press following a screening of the upcoming 15th season, which will arrive in the New Year.
"No, there won't be a Christmas special next Christmas, not in the traditional mould," she said – with executive producer Pippa Harris later confirming that the prequel, which will be set during the Second World War, would make its debut at Christmas instead.
Call the Midwife's first-ever movie version will be filmed on the other side of the world
The first movie version of Call the Midwife is to be set Down Under, it has been revealed. Showrunner Heidi Thomas said that after the upcoming 15th series airs from January on BBC1, she will next make a prequel series, set in WWII, and then film a movie version of the drama set in 1972.
Heidi admits she needed a “temporary pause in the usual pattern” after 15 years of Call the Midwife. “I don’t think any other show has produced a series every year for that period of time,” she said. “So I think this is a lovely opportunity for us to press pause and refresh a little bit and come back with more exciting things.”
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Call The Midwife boss issues sad show announcement in devastating blow to fans
Fans of Call The Midwife have been dealt a devastating blow as showrunner Heidi Thomas has revealed there will be no festive special in 2026. The show's Christmas episode has become a staple of the BBC Christmas Day schedule over the past 15 years and the 2025 offering was split into two parts which aired on December 25 and 26. However it will be missing from TV Guides next year.
Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk and other media at a launch for the upcoming season 15, Heidi, married to Stephen McGann, who stars in the show as Dr Patrick Turner, confirmed that the special is taking a hiatus. "No, there won't be a Christmas special next Christmas, not in the traditional mould, so all of us get to enjoy on Christmas Day, which is very nice," she laughed. "Every Christmas, my whole family sit and watches it because they've never seen it before. So I cook Christmas dinner – sometimes I've cooked for up to 16 people. I'm covered in gravy, like every other mum in Britain. And then when all the other mums in Britain say, and 'now it's me time' I sit down to Call the Midwife," she revealed.
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