In a revelation that may rattle the very foundations of Nonnatus House, Call the Midwife creator and showrunner Heidi Thomas has recently hinted at the possibility of a hiatus for the beloved series. Now approaching the conclusion of its 14th season, this charming BBC drama has captivated audiences, with around six million viewers tuning in each Sunday for their dose of heartwarming nostalgia in a near-historical context.
The thought of the dedicated midwives and nuns of this nursing order in Poplar, East London, taking a break from delivering babies—and, of course, offering cups of tea and pearls of wisdom—is almost unfathomable. After all, no matter how challenging life becomes in the East End during the 1950s, 60s, or 70s, expectant mothers can always count on an almost instantaneous appointment with the ever-reliable Dr. Turner, who, to my knowledge, has never missed a single birth since the series first aired 13 years ago.
For fans who might find themselves weeping inconsolably into their perfectly brewed tea (teapots, not teabags, please!), Thomas provided a glimmer of hope by suggesting that the nuns might be the stars of a franchise that could rival the Marvel Universe, hinting at an expansion of “our storytelling world.” While the details of this potential expansion remain elusive, as a long-time follower of Midwife since its inception (remember Jessica Raine and Miranda Hart?), I can assert this: if the series does take a break, it will likely return transformed.
It’s undeniable that Call the Midwife has lost some of its original subtlety and depth (Photo: BBC). The show has long surpassed its source material, the memoirs of young nurse Jennifer Worth, and with each new season, the writing seems to lose a bit of the finesse and weight it had in its earlier days when happy endings were not guaranteed—a frequent critique among some of its viewers.
- Currently, storylines often feel contrived, with modern-day issues shoehorned in rather clumsily.
- This corner of Poplar consistently showcases an impressively progressive stance on matters of race and disability.
- Plot resolutions tend to be overly tidy, with Nonnatus House’s future often threatened by either an unexploded WWII bomb or intervention from cost-cutting (male) bureaucrats at the local health board in nearly every season.
Then there are the numerous cast changes that have become a hallmark of the show. The rapid turnover among the younger leading actors has led to scripts opting to ignore former characters altogether. While Midwife serves as an excellent launching pad for many performers—except, of course, for the indomitable Helen George, who has portrayed Nurse Trixie since the very beginning—few actors seem willing to commit for more than a few seasons, resulting in a constant influx of fresh faces. This revolving door can create tangled character arcs, as demonstrated in the current season where the kind-hearted civil engineer-turned-social worker Cyril finds himself drawn to the new-ish nurse Rosalind, even though he remains technically married to Lucille, who embarked on a two-week trip to the Caribbean three years ago.
As Call the Midwife edges closer to the present day, I can’t help but worry that the series may eventually reach the year of my birth. More critically, it risks losing the essential charm of its old-fashioned coziness. A significant part of its allure—beyond the idyllic portrayal of medical appointments being readily available and healthcare professionals devoting ample time to their patients—is its nostalgic evocation of a screen-free community. The televised East End is painted as a landscape filled with endless tea parties, scouting events, and friendly chats at the local newsagent while picking up the day’s paper.
Inside Nonnatus House, modern technology has yet to disrupt the cherished tradition of midwives gathering around the dining table for formal meals, engaging in civil conversation. This is certainly not a world where Sister Monica Joan (the 89-year-old Judy Parfitt) orders a Deliveroo pizza via her iPhone while simultaneously scrolling through TikTok videos.
For now, we must wait for updates on what new adventures may await us in the Midwife universe. In the meantime, let’s savor its current iteration while we can. Nonnatus House has endured much, but it can’t and won’t last forever.
‘Call the Midwife’ continues on Sunday at 8pm on BBC One
