BBC Orders Three More Seasons of Call The Midwife

LONDON: The series Call The Midwife has landed a three-season renewal from the BBC, taking the characters’ stories into the mid-1960s.

From Neal Street Productions, Call The Midwife will enter its sixth season in early 2017 on BBC One. The newly commissioned seasons seven, eight and nine will each have eight hour-long episodes.

Pippa Harris, executive producer for Neal Street Productions, said: “Like a truly supportive parent, the BBC has nurtured our series from conception onwards, and this exceptional three-[season] commission further demonstrates their care and commitment. It’s a testament too to the passion, skill and creativity of Heidi Thomas, and to the dedication, talent and brilliance of our cast and crew.”

Charlotte Moore, the director of BBC Content, added: “I’m privileged to have Britain’s most popular drama series on BBC One, and this new three-[season] commission underlines our commitment to the show. Call The Midwife continues to raise the bar with each new [season] and is really valued by audiences. The quality and ambition of the storytelling is credit to the excellence of writer Heidi Thomas, who has successfully brought the show into the 1960s with a diverse range of subjects.”

Piers Wenger, controller of BBC Drama, commented: “Over the last six [seasons] Heidi Thomas and Neal Street Productions have grown Call The Midwife from a Sunday night hit into a drama phenomenon. It has rewarded its large and loyal audience by increasing its scope and ambition from [season] to [season] and I am thrilled that BBC Drama will be its home for a further, stellar, three years.”

Thomas, creator, writer and executive producer, said: “I am hugely excited by the prospect of creating three more [seasons] of Call The Midwife. In the 1960s Britain was a country fizzing with change and challenge, and there is so much rich material—medical, social and emotional—to be explored. We have now delivered well over 100 babies on screen, and like those babies, the stories keep on coming! Above all else, it is an incredible privilege to work on a show that is made with such care and received with such love.”