‘Call the Midwife’ reveals two new main characters for Season 13

We’ve got a sneak peek at two brand new Call the Midwife characters!

A thirteenth season of the BBC’s hit period drama began filming in England back in May.

Set during the 1950s-1960s, the series follows about a group of nurse midwives in the East End of London and its twelfth run concluded this spring.

Call the Midwife was recently recommissioned for another three seasons, guaranteeing that the show will continue until at least 2026.

With production well underway on next year’s eight 60-minute episodes, the show’s official Facebook page announced this week that we’ll be meeting two new midwives in Season 13.

“Today we can reveal that there are going to be some new faces gracing the streets of Poplar!” they wrote.

We’ll be entering 1969 when Call the Midwife returns, where we’ll meet young trainee midwives Joyce Highland and Rosalind Clifford.

The pair will make their debut as Nonnatus House embarks on a new pupil midwife-training scheme.

Renee Bailey will be playing Joyce, while Natalie Quarry plays Rosalind, and we’ve got a first look at them in costume here:

We’re told that Joyce Highland is “hardworking, intelligent and deeply kind,” but with “a traumatic past that she cannot conceal forever.”

Hailing from Trinidad, she hopes to one day become Matron of a British hospital.

Rosalind Clifford is described as “young, warm, passionate and funny.”

While she may come across as “naive at times,” she has “an inner steeliness that will lead her to make some life-changing decisions.”

Call the Midwife writer and creator Heidi Thomas commented: “Newcomers Joyce and Rosalind arrive with much to learn, and much to give. And yet even as man prepares to walk on the moon, we see them grappling with life’s eternal questions. Who are we? What is love? And where do we belong?”

They’ll be joining all the previously-confirmed returning cast members, pictured below when they reunited for a script read-through earlier this year:

“We’re so excited to be back for our thirteenth series, with all the treasured Nonnatus team returning – and also to welcome Renee and Natalie to the cast,” said executive producer Dame Pippa Harris.

“They’re a wonderful addition to the show and I can’t wait for the audience to meet Joyce and Rosalind and to follow their journeys, by bicycle, through the streets and lives of Poplar’s residents.”

The team also wrote on the show’s Facebook page: “We couldn’t be more thrilled with how filming is going, and Renee and Natalie are SUCH great additions to our team as we head into the seventies!”

Season 13 will premiere on BBC One and PBS in early 2024, following a 90-minute festive special this Christmas.

While we wait for the new season, have you seen this official Call the Midwife cookbook?

The book features 50 fun recipes inspired by the show and it’s out now!

Call the Midwife: The Official Cookbook is available on Amazon.