‘Call the Midwife’ boss hints at Season 13 storylines as 1969 unfolds

With filming well underway on new episodes of Call the Midwife, we’ve got some exciting hints!

Set during the 1950s-1960s, the BBC’s hit period drama about a group of nurse midwives in the East End of London aired its twelfth run earlier in the year.

Production began on a thirteenth season in May, shooting a feature-length festive special for this Christmas and eight brand new 60-minute episodes for 2024.

Last week we learned that the new season will introduce two new midwives to Poplar, and now we can share more spoiler-free details about what’s coming up.

“After so many years, our much loved regular characters are like family to me – and our wonderful fans so often tell me that they feel the same,” says Call the Midwife creator Heidi Thomas.

“I know they will be as thrilled as I am that Series 13 of Call the Midwife is full of beautiful moments that celebrate the young, the old, and the precious ties that bind them.”

“After Trixie’s spectacular wedding, the Nonnatus House community feels more tightly-knit than ever, but life in Poplar has never been a fairy tale,” the writer warned.

“As 1969 unfolds we will see change and challenge rock the world of our beloved nuns, nurses, medics, and midwives,” she added.

We’re told that the new episodes will bring us more “complex medical and personal situations on the midwifery and district nursing rounds.”

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

Storylines will explore issues surrounding Cerebral Palsy, Congenital Hip Dysplasia, Tetanus, Porphyria and TB, as poor housing continues to blight areas of Poplar presenting complex social and health challenges to the Nonnatus team.

Season 13 is set to premiere on BBC One and PBS in early 2024, following this year’s Christmas special.

“There’s so much in store for our audience this series, thanks to the perennial brilliance of Heidi Thomas, whose stories interweave joy, despair, love, history and medicine with a gorgeously diverse array of newborn babies,” commented executive producer Dame Pippa Harris.

Fans on the show’s Facebook page shared their excitement, with one commenting: “That is awesome news! I will so be looking forward to it. I am new to this show and recently watched all 12 seasons over a couple of months! I am a nurse and find it fascinating on many different levels. Thank you to all involved!”

Another wrote: “Can’t wait. Did my midwifery training in 1969! Loved every minute!”

Call the Midwife has been officially renewed for another three seasons, guaranteeing that it’ll carry on until at least 2026.

In the meantime, why not try making some recipes from this official Call the Midwife cookbook?

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