Filming has begun on a brand new prequel series to the beloved drama ‘Call the Midwife’, taking audiences back to Poplar during World War Two. The three-part Christmas special, titled ‘Call the Midwife: Sisters in Arms’, is now in production at the studio home in Longcross, Surrey, with further details about a potential full-length series to be announced in due course.According to the BBC, the prequel is being helmed by the current ‘Call the Midwife’ creative team, with showrunner Heidi Thomas returning alongside executive producers Pippa Harris and Ann Tricklebank, who also serves as producer. The series will feature some well-known characters from the original show as their younger selves, and is narrated by Jenny Agutter, who plays the older Sister Julienne in the main series.
What ‘Call the Midwife: Sisters in Arms’ will show
The prequel is set in September 1939, at a time when Sister Monica Joan is in her prime, Sister Julienne and Sister Evangelina are young and zealous, and Nonnatus House is the beating heart of Poplar. The story follows the nuns and midwives as they dedicate their lives to mothers, babies and the poor, but without the modern medical resources audiences know from the main series. There is no gas and air, no penicillin, no cure for tuberculosis, and no welfare state.
‘Call the Midwife: Sisters in Arms’ follows the nuns and midwives of Poplar as they care for mothers and babies during World War Two.
When war is declared, life becomes even harder. The three young secular midwives who complete the team face a baptism of fire as the blackout and the Blitz take hold. Women give birth underground, families are shattered, children run wild, and whole streets are reduced to rubble. Yet courage, compassion and resilience triumph as the community unites in its efforts to survive.
The cast of ‘Sisters in Arms’
Julie Hesmondhalgh takes on the role of Sister Alice, with Amy Booth-Steel as Sister Evangelina, Helen Schlesinger as Sister Monica Joan and Helena Wilson as Sister Julienne. Bally Gill plays Dr Kit Malhotra, the local GP, while Martin McCann and Rachel O’Connell appear as Tommy and Mary Moffat.
The prequel revisits familiar faces from the ‘Call the Midwife’ universe, exploring their lives during the Blitz in 1939.
The three secular midwives are portrayed by Liv Andrusier as Marianne Siegler, Lizzie Back as Sybil Maxted and Ellie McKay as Olive Dobbs. Ciaran Bowling plays Fred Buckle with Ami Metcalf as his wife Betty, and Ben Rose appears as Dr Patrick Turner.
What Heidi Thomas said about the prequel
Creator and writer Heidi Thomas reflected on developing the series. “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,” she said. “Above all else, ‘Call the Midwife: Sisters in Arms’ is about what happens when women go to war. It is about love and birth, separation and courage, lipstick and nylons, or the lack thereof. But it is also a medical drama, set in a devastating landscape where even the nurses cannot know if they will live till morning.”Thomas also spoke about the emotional journey of writing the prequel, describing rediscovering the characters she had created years earlier. “Sisters in Arms has been a joy to write, like returning to the family home and finding all the people I have ever loved made young again and filled with new energy,” she added.
The ‘Call the Midwife’ legacy
The original ‘Call the Midwife’ is one of the most popular dramas on British TV and has been among the top five most viewed dramas on all channels and streamers in the UK from January 2023 to date. Between 2012 and 2026 the series was in the top five most watched dramas on the BBC each year. The prequel is a thrilling addition to the realm which has held audiences for over ten years.
