Call the Midwife is set to be rested after the next series, with a spin-off planned to fill the gap in 2027. Show writer and creator Heidi Thomas hinted that change was coming in an interview to mark the end of the 14th series on Sunday, with a finale in which Megan Cusack bows out as nurse Nancy Corrigan. And show sources revealed that fans should make the most of next year’s 15th series - because is likely to be the last for a while.
There is one year left to run under the show’s current three-year deal with BBC1, guaranteeing that the show’s loyal audience of 8million get their regular fix from Poplar in January 2026. But talks over what comes next have ended with a decision to try something different for 2027. “It’s all very hush-hush but the idea is to explore a spin-off and see how it goes,” one insider said.
The new venture is likely to feature several characters already known to viewers. One possibility is that the action could follow the nuns, led by Jenny Agutter’s character Sister Julienne, as they leave Nonnutus House for a new home outside of London, as happened in real life during the 1970s.
Another possibility is that it is set in a hospital - like a 1970s version of Casualty - or follow one particular character or pair, such as newly romantic Cyril Robinson and Rosalind Clifford or pals Miss Higgins and Phyllis Crane. Bosses could also take one of the older characters, such as SIster Monica Joan, played by Judy Parfitt, and take her back in time to when she was a young woman, in the early 1900s. But fans need not fear that the series is ending for good. Call the Midwife writer and creator Heidi Thomas said the hugely popular series, which started in 2012 based on the memoirs of Jennifer Worth, is likely to remain on the BBC in some form for many years to come.
“Those of us who are most invested with the show - who have been there since the beginning, it is our lives,” she explained. “I don’t believe Call the Midwife will ever end. But I do think we might take a break at some point.” Speaking to Radio Times she added: “There is a sort of a rolling, ongoing conversation that we always have at this point every year, which is: is there an end point? What are we working towards? Increasingly, we do see opportunities to expand our storytelling world. So if we do take a break, it will be with a view to looking at other aspects of Call the Midwife.”.
After Sunday’s finale at 8pm on BBC1, the drama will return on Christmas Day for its annual festive special before series 15, set in 1971, launches next January. Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs onTikTok,Snapchat,Instagram,Twitter,Facebook,YouTubeandThreads.
