‘Call the Midwife’ reveals Season 13 start date – and it’s very soon!

The BBC has announced when the next season of Call the Midwife begins!

Set during the 1950s-1960s, the BBC’s hit period drama about a group of nurse midwives in the East End of London is back later this month with its annual one-off Christmas special.

Luckily, fans won’t have to wait very long after that for the show to return with its thirteenth season.

Eight brand new 60-minute episodes commenced filming in England this spring, and last month we learned that the shoot has officially wrapped.

As Poplar rings in 1969, Call the Midwife will be welcoming two new young trainee midwives.

Renee Bailey is playing Joyce, while Natalie Quarry joins as Rosalind, and the pair will make their debut as Nonnatus House embarks on a new pupil midwife-training scheme.

“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,” commented 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.”

Watch a clip here:

“It is now the final months of the Sixties, and more babies are being born in hospital than ever before,” reveals the synopsis for Season 13.

“Pressure on maternity beds remains extremely high across the country but Poplar is coping better than most due to the work of Nonnatus House and the popularity of home births under the auspices of the Sisters,” we’re told.

“As 1969 unfolds we will see change and challenge rock the world of our beloved nuns, nurses, medics, and midwives,” Call the Midwife creator Heidi Thomas hinted earlier this year.

When’s the release date?

Season 13 starts in the UK at 8pm on Sunday 7 January on BBC One and streaming on BBC iPlayer.

American viewers will have Call the Midwife back on Sunday nights a few months later on PBS Masterpiece.

We’ll let you know as soon as the US premiere date is confirmed, but it’s usually in the third week of March.

Here’s another clip from the first episode, featuring guest star Rosie Jones:

A fourteenth season of Call the Midwife is set to begin production in the spring.

The show was officially renewed for another three seasons earlier this year, bringing us new episodes until at least 2026!

Last year’s season of Call the Midwife is available on DVD on Amazon.