Call the Midwife boss admits ‘I don’t know how long we’re going to go on’ as she discusses BBC show’s future
CALL the Midwife’s boss Heidi Thomas has admitted she doesn’t know ‘how long’ the show can go on for as she reveals its future.
The hit period drama returns for a new series in January – which marks the start of the 70s in Poplar, East London.
Despite pulling in millions of viewers for the Beeb, Heidi revealed fans constantly assume the show will eventually have to end.
However, she reckons Call the Midwife can continue to run and run.
She said: “People are always saying to me that Call the Midwife is something that is going to have to end very soon. Because the pill has arrived, so fewer babies will be born.
“And that hasn’t happened because for every woman who takes the pill, there is one who forgets. Or there is one who is so naive, she doesn’t know it exists.
“But time and time again, I’ve been genuinely shocked by the extent to which society and women will create obstacles for themselves.
“Even though society is giving them every opportunity to do otherwise.
“And it’s in the fragility of human life that these stories exist.
“We can’t always be strong. We can’t always be definite.”
Heidi continued by revealing stories for each series are sourced through British newspaper archives.
As a result it strikes a cord with the viewers at home, who constantly contact her.
She said: “It moves me to tears when people constantly get in touch and say, ‘this is my story’.
“This is what happened to me. You are telling me something that nobody has ever reflected back to me before.”
Time and time again, I’ve been genuinely shocked by the extent to which society and women will create obstacles for themselves
Heidi Thomas
The 62-year-old added: “One of my favourite letters which I only got last week was, It’s time for Call the Midwife. It’s the annual visit from my family.
“And for some people, we are their family. And we show them children growing up. We show people growing old.”
On a final note on its future, Heidi said: “I don’t know how long we’re going to go on. We aren’t going to run out of stories.”
Call the Midwife returns to BBC One and iPlayer in January.
Call The Midwife: A breakdown
Call The Midwife first came onto the airwaves in 2012 and has been seen by millions. But what is it about?
Series one: Set in early 1957 and it explored the ‘Baby Boom generation, which included themes of poverty and post-war immigration.
Series two: Set in 1958 and it showed gas and air being introduced for pain relief for the first time. It ended with the Nonnatus House building being condemned.
Series three: Set in 1959 and it depicted gruesome conditions such as cystic fibrosis, polio and it showed the midwives in the context on prisons.
Series four: Set in 1960 under the threat of nuclear warfare and the emergency response guidelines issued by the local Civil Defence Corp. Other themes included LGBT rights, and syphilis.
Series five: Set in 1961 and it shows the care of patients with conditions such as Typhoid and strokes. We also saw the effects of thalidomide, the introduction of the contraceptive pill.
Series six: Set in 1962 and domestic violence was at the centre of the season. Other themes included FGM (female genital mutilation), mental health issues and interracial marriage. It was also notable for the introduction of Reggie, a recurring character with Down Syndrome.
Series seven: Set in 1963 and we see Nurse Lucille Anderson for the first time. We also see the show address conditions such as dementia, huntington’s disease, leprosy and meningitis
Series eight: Set in 1964 and it bravely covered the issue of abortion, which was not legal for another three years in 1967. Sickle cell disease, cleft lip, cleft palate and intersex people also featured.
Series nine: Diptheria was at the centre of the ninth instalment in 1965, and it was notable for featuring a blind expectant mother. But the role of Nonnatus House within the community also came into question.
Series ten: Set in 1966, Nonnatus House has a rival in the form of the private Lady Emily Clinic in Mayfair. PKU, diabetes and the controversy surrounding abortion were central themes.
Series eleven: Set in 1967 amid the housing crisis and a scabies epidemic. The show was rocked by a train crash right next to Nonnatus House.
“We all belong together. We all meet here every year in the Emporium of Unflattering Light to join with this company of people again.” she explains.
“I don’t know how long we’re going to go on but we aren’t going to run out of stories.”
People ask Heidi every year where she finds those heart warming stories and she explains that there’s an easy answer to that question.
“The simple answer is, I go into the British newspaper archive. Or I go into the medical archive.
“Or people come up to me in the street. I was in the supermarket and a woman came up and said, ‘I gave birth standing up”.
The new series pf Call the Midwife airs in early 2025 and a further series has already been commissioned.
Meaning that the award-winning drama will be on air until at least 2026 – which is good news for all of the Call the Midwife family!
Call The Midwife is available to stream on BBCIplayer