Call The Midwife: Hit BBC drama series set for spin-off prequel series and film - when will they be released?

The hit medical period drama, which began in 2012, has been going strong for many years with millions of viewers continuing to tune in. Series 14, which finished airing on BBC One on March 2, drew in an average of 6.9 million viewers.

Now fans are being rewarded with a brand new film and prequel series. The series will be set in Poplar amid the backdrop of the Blitz in World War Two. The film will be set in 1972 and feature characters from the current season.

Season 15 has also just began filming in East London, with the new series set to begin with a two-parter Christmas special. This will be followed by eight new episodes, which will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in January 2026.

Showrunner Heidi Thomas said: “The opening of new doors at Nonnatus House feels profoundly emotional, and yet just right. I have never run out of stories for our midwives, and I never will. But having wept, laughed, and raged my way from 1957 to 1971, I found myself yearning to delve into the deeper past.

“The Blitz years in the East End were extraordinary – filled with loss, togetherness, courage and joy. The bombs fell, the babies kept on coming, and the Sisters kept on going. There will be so much in the prequel for our wonderful, loyal fans, including the appearance of some familiar (if much younger) faces.

“As the classic Call The Midwife series moves further into the 1970s, it also seems the perfect time for our much-loved regulars to take a short break from Poplar and test themselves in an unfamiliar landscape. The rise in hospital births, and changes in the NHS, have clipped their wings, and this is their chance to take flight and work out what really matters.

“Whilst the location of the film remains top secret, I can say it is going to look absolutely fantastic on the big screen.”

Executive producer Same Pippa Harris added: “We have all been delighted by the way in which audiences have continued to embrace Heidi’s imaginative and moving stories from Nonnatus House.

“In an increasingly competitive viewing environment, not only have our loyal fans stayed with us for 14 years, but they’ve been joined by a new, younger generation who have also fallen in love with our characters and the challenges they face. Emboldened by this warmth and enthusiasm, now feels like the right time to expand our world and take our nuns and midwives on to the big screen with our movie, and back in time with the prequel.”

As of yet, we don’t know when the prequel series will hit screens, or when we will be able to watch the film. Further details are expected to be released at a later date.