Christmas has come early for fans of Call the Midwife. With filming now officially underway on the prequel series, the BBC has unveiled a host of new details, including the show’s title, synopsis and cast.
Call the Midwife: Sisters in Arms, which is set during World War Two, will follow younger versions of Sister Evangelina, Sister Monica Joan and Sister Julienne, who will be played by Amy Booth-Steel (Coronation Street, Doctor Who), Helen Schlesinger (Ted Lasso, Albion) and Helena Wilson (The Hills of California, The Custom of the Country), respectively, while the series will be narrated by original cast member Jenny Agutter as older Sister Julienne.
Other returning characters include Dr Patrick Turner, who will be played in his younger years by Ben Rose (This Town), while Ciaran Bowling (Dune Prophecy, Pierre) has stepped into the role of Fred Buckle and Ami Metcalf (Sister Boniface Mysteries, Walking And Talking) will star as his first wife Betty.
They will also be joined by three young midwives: Marianne Siegler played by Liv Andrusier (The Witcher, Fiddler on the Roof), Sybil Maxted played by Lizzie Back (Grantchester, Grace) and Olive Dobbs played by Ellie Mckay (Hijack, Austin).
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And in typical Call the Midwife fashion, there will be a number of guest stars including Julie Hesmondhalgh (Mr Bates vs the Post Office, Broadchurch, Coronation Street) as Sister Alice.
Rounding out the cast are Bally Gill (Slow Horses, Interview with a Vampire) as Dr Kit Malhotra, Martin McCann (Blue Lights, Hostage) as Tommy Moffat and Rachel O’Connell (The Young Offenders, EastEnders) as his wife Mary, who will all have their work cut out, as per the official synopsis:
“In September 1939, 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.
“Together with Sister Alice, and local GP Dr Kit, the nuns dedicate their lives to mothers, babies and the poor. But there is no gas and air, no penicillin, no cure for TB, and no welfare state.
“Then war is declared – and life gets even harder.”
“The three young secular midwives who complete the team – Sybil, Olive and Marianne – receive a baptism of fire as the blackout and the Blitz take hold,” the synopsis continues.
“While bombs rain from the sky, women give birth underground, families are shattered, children run wild, and whole streets are reduced to rubble.
“But courage, compassion and resilience triumph as the community unites in its efforts to survive.”
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“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,” said creator Heidi Thomas. “Who were Sister Monica Joan, Sister Julienne, and Sister Evangelina, when they were young? What did they do, how did they survive, and how did the conflict change them?”
First and foremost, added Thomas, 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),” she continued. “But it is also a medical drama, set in a devastating landscape where even the nurses cannot know if they will live till morning.”
Call the Midwife has delivered countless heartfelt moments over its 15 seasons, and if Thomas’s comments are any indication, the prequel is set to continue that tradition.
“I thought I had cried all my tears when Sister Monica Joan died, at the end of Call the Midwife’s 15th series,” said Thomas. “But the thought of her back on her bike, cycling through an air raid, set me off again, as did images of young Sister Julienne shaking when the sirens sound, and Fred Buckle still in his 20’s, black with soot and sweat as a volunteer fireman.
“Then I’d be laughing at Sister Evangelina, in her element as an Air Raid Warden, or the juvenile Dr Turner turning up at a dance and being shy with girls.”
Thomas went on to describe the prequel as “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”.
“I can’t wait to start filming and look forward to sharing our new show with Call the Midwife’s fantastic fans,” she added.
Meanwhile, executive producer Pippa Harris said it was “thrilling” to watch Thomas create a series that will “delight… the loyal Call the Midwife audience, as well as drawing in new viewers”.
“It echoes the original through its blend of engrossing medical stories, wit, and pathos, while the backdrop of WW2 adds a completely fresh layer of tension and jeopardy to the drama,” she shared, teasing “a real treat this Christmas.”
While Sisters in Arms will debut as a three-part special as part of the BBC’s festive schedule, the broadcaster has also confirmed that further details about a full-length series will be announced in due course.
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