BBC One’s hit period drama Call The Midwife has earned a bumper renewal, scoring a three-season pick up that will see it remain on air until at least its ninth season in 2020.
Alongside these three new seasons, all of which will run eight episodes, a further three Christmas Specials have also been ordered. The series was re-commissioned by Director of BBC Content Charlotte Moore and the BBC’s Controller of Drama Commissioning Piers Wenger.
This massive renewal is a huge sign of confidence in the show from the BBC and comes mere weeks before the 2016 Christmas Special is due to air on BBC One. The show’s sixth season will then follow on the BBC’s flagship channel in early 2017. Since its inception, Call The Midwife has been a ratings hit with all five seasons attracting audiences of more than ten million viewers.
“I’m privileged to have Britain’s most popular drama series on BBC One, and this new three-series commission underlines our commitment to the show”, said Charlotte Moore. “Call The Midwife continues to raise the bar with each new series 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.”
“I am hugely excited by the prospect of creating three more series of Call The Midwife”, added series creator Heidi Thomas. “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 one hundred 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.”
Call The Midwife is based on the memoirs of Jennifer Worth, who was a district midwife in London’s east end during the 1950′s and stars Jenny Agutter, Pam Ferris, Judy Parfitt, Helen George, Bryony Hannah, Laura Main, Cliff Parisi, Charlotte Ritchie and Linda Bassett. Series creator Heidi Thomas continues to lead the writing team and executive produces alongside Pippa Harris for Neal Street Productions. Elizabeth Kilgarriff is the executive producer for the BBC.
