Watch out for those sheep!
The Call the Midwife 2019 Christmas special is almost here and we know loads about what promises to be a Christmas Day cracker.
The BBC has released a string of wonderful pictures including one of the midwives getting tangled up with some very naughty sheep as they visit Scotland in a bus!
Mother Mildred could have her hands full with all those sheep
So, what happens in the Call the Midwife 2019 Christmas special?
Well, Mother Mildred (played by the delightful Miriam Margolyes) decides to take the gang up to the Outer Hebrides.
You might wonder why they’re heading so far away from Nonnatus House, well apparently the islanders have a desperate lack of midwives and the team are there to help out.
MORE: Christmas TV Guide – best shows to watch and when they’re on
Bless! Nurses Valerie, Trixie and Lucille pose with babies in the Call the Midwife 2019 Christmas special
Helen George, who plays Trixie, tells us: “It’s a fabulous episode! They’re helping a community who don’t have medical provisions and whose last midwife left to get married. We’re expecting to have nice digs but it’s an old church with no heating – and we filmed in an old church with no heating!”
Trixie returned in last year’s Call the Midwife Christmas Special
While the location maybe idyllic, the BBC reveals there will be plenty of problems for Mother Mildred and co.
“Exposed to the elements, they operate in bleak conditions with limited access to water and electricity to help their patients, just in time to reconvene in Poplar for Christmas.”
Sister Mildred and Sister Julienne brave the conditions in the Call the Midwife Christmas special
Talking about the festive episode, Jenny Agutter, who plays Sister Julienne, tells us: “This community has nothing so it’s important we go there. We’ve been living in a changing urban community in Poplar but it’s different seeing a remote community struggling to survive.
“It’s an interesting storyline with magical, spiritual qualities. The Outer Hebrides is like Cornwall, where I live part of the time, and you feel you’re somewhere untouched by human hands where nature is so strong.”
Call the Midwife creator Heidi Thomas promises that it will be a “magical” adventure.
She added in a chat with us: “It was high time to take the Christmas special out of Poplar and our characters out of their comfort zones. I wanted to put them somewhere uncomfortable because that’s where drama is born.”
And it seems that the Call the Midwife 2019 Christmas special will have a lighter and more comedic tone than the series that will follow in 2020, which sounds much darker.
The show’s executive producer, Dame Pippa Harris, adds that it will be “an exciting journey” for the midwives.
WHAT IS ON TONIGHT? Check out our NEW and Improved TV Guide
When will the Call the Midwife 2019 Christmas special air?
The BBC has officially confirmed it will air on Christmas Day at 7pm. It’s an hour and a half long and will be followed by Gavin & Stacey!
Fred got into the Christmas spirit in last year’s Call the Midwife Christmas special…
… and Fred is back in his Father Christmas gear in the 2019 special!
What time is the Call the Midwife 2019 Christmas special on Christmas Day?
7pm. Don’t miss it!
And what about the new Call the Midwife series starting in 2020?
We know there will be eight episodes and it will open in January 1965 with the funeral of Winston Churchill.
The BBC teases: “As the tower blocks multiply, and a new East End rises from the ashes of the old, society becomes more prosperous, but more complex.
“Our familiar team of medics and midwives face unexpected challenges as the population shifts, rules change, and old diseases come back to haunt them. Alongside the joy and optimism of birth, they must cope with cases including diphtheria, drug abuse, cancer, tuberculosis, and fistula.”
Filming on the new series finished in October. Jennifer Kirby (who plays Valerie), tweeted: “Last day of filming on series 9!!! Such wonderful things to show you this year”.
Last day of filming on series 9!!! ❤️💙. Such wonderful things to show you this year. #callthemidwife pic.twitter.com/IXe4WU0BJm
— Jennifer Kirby (@JenniferKirby08) October 11, 2019
When will the new series of Call the Midwife start?
The new series will begin on Sunday January 5th at 8pm.
Who’s in the Call the Midwife 2019 Christmas special and the new series?
Miriam Margolyes plays Mildred in the Call the Midwife 2019 Christmas special
Latest stories
Cast for the new series include Jennifer, Miriam, Jenny Agutter (Sister Julienne), Linda Bassett (Nurse Crane), Judy Parfitt (Sister Monica Joan), Fenella Woolgar (Sister Hilda), Ella Bruccoleri (Sister Frances), Helen George (Trixie), Laura Main (Shelagh Turner), Leonie Elliott (Lucille), Stephen McGann (Dr Turner), Cliff Parisi (Fred), Annabelle Apsion (Violet), Georgie Glen (Miss Higgins), Max Macmillan (Timothy), Trevor Cooper (Sgt Woolf) and Daniel Laurie (Reggie).
The Call the Midwife 2019 Christmas special will air on BBC1 on Christmas Day at 7pm.
