The beloved BBC period drama Call the Midwife returns with an unprecedented two-part Christmas special that takes the show’s storytelling to new heights. For the first time in the show’s 14-year history, the festive episodes will split action between two dramatically different locations: the snowy streets of Poplar in East London and the sun-drenched landscapes of Hong Kong.
Airing on Christmas Day (December 25) and Boxing Day (December 26, 2025), these two-hour specials will broadcast on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK and on PBS in the United States. The episodes promise to deliver what fans love about Call the Midwife—emotional depth, compelling medical storylines, and authentic character moments—while simultaneously expanding the series’ geographical and thematic scope in unexpected ways.
This year’s Christmas special marks a significant milestone in the show’s creative evolution, offering viewers a chance to experience the Nonnatus House community both at home and on an international mercy mission.
Part 1: Christmas in Poplar and the Hong Kong Crisis
The first half of the special opens with familiar festive preparations in Poplar. The residents of the East End are busy getting ready for Christmas while Fred Buckle (Cliff Parisi) and his wife Violet (Annabelle Apsion) prepare for an overseas journey to visit Violet’s son in Hong Kong.
Carrying parcels and gifts for the Nonnatus House sisters, Fred and Violet arrive at the Branch House in Kowloon, only to discover a catastrophe: the entire building has collapsed, with many reported fatalities. This devastating discovery triggers an emergency response, and a rescue mission is hastily organized. Senior members of the Nonnatus House team—including Sister Julienne (Jenny Agutter), Sister Hilda (Fenella Woolgar), Dr. Turner (Stephen McGann), and Shelagh Turner (Laura Main)—make emergency plans to head to Hong Kong to assist with the humanitarian crisis.
Back in Poplar, meanwhile, Cyril Robinson (Zephryn Taitte) receives an unusual request from a mysterious man named Mr. Fischer (Henry Goodman), who wants to rent Cyril’s flat for an indefinite period and is willing to pay any price. This subplot introduces intrigue and raises questions about Mr. Fischer’s motivations and circumstances.
Part 2: Mercy Mission in Hong Kong, Christmas Gathering in Poplar
The second half of the special intensifies both storylines. In Poplar, Trixie Aylward (Helen George) and Geoffrey (Christopher Harper) discover Mr. Fischer has collapsed in the snow. When they find him, they learn he is suffering from a terminal blood disorder, adding layers of complexity and emotion to his earlier request.
Elsewhere in Poplar, Rosalind Clifford (Natalie Quarry) and Joyce Highland (Renee Bailey) host a Christmas gathering, providing moments of warmth and community celebration. Simultaneously, Sister Catherine (Molly Vevers) is determined to uncover what happened to Queenie’s (Aoife McMahon) baby—a storyline that suggests ongoing personal drama within the Nonnatus House family.
The action dramatically shifts to Hong Kong, where the Nonnatus House rescue team confronts significant challenges. Sister Julienne and Sister Hilda face down a gangster who demands the keys to the Order’s new property, raising the stakes of the mission. Meanwhile, Dr. Turner and Shelagh finally locate Esther (Yennis Cheung) and her son in the Walled City—a densely populated, historically significant area of Hong Kong. Esther’s son is very unwell, requiring immediate medical attention.
The Cast: Returning Favorites and New Faces
Call the Midwife features an ensemble cast that has become beloved across more than a decade of broadcasting. The regular cast returning for these Christmas specials includes:
Jenny Agutter (Sister Julienne) – The veteran actress has become synonymous with the role of Sister Julienne, the steadfast leader of Nonnatus House. Agutter, born December 20, 1952, began her career as a child actress appearing in East of Sudan, Star!, and two versions of The Railway Children. She won an Emmy Award in 1971 for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama for The Snow Goose and a BAFTA Award for Equus (1977). In the Christmas special, Sister Julienne’s character undergoes significant evolution, as creator Heidi Thomas explains: “After years of battling change, she decides to embrace it, work with it, and see what love can do.”
Helen George (Trixie Aylward) – George plays Trixie, one of the show’s most resilient and resourceful midwives. A recovering alcoholic who faced significant challenges in previous seasons, Trixie has relocated to New York with her husband Matthew but continues to navigate her responsibilities in Poplar. In the Christmas special, she features prominently in the subplot involving Mr. Fischer’s collapse in the snow.
Stephen McGann (Dr. Patrick Turner) – McGann portrays the compassionate physician who heads to Hong Kong as part of the rescue mission. As Dr. Turner, he represents the show’s commitment to depicting authentic medical care in the 1950s-1970s era. McGann has become closely associated with the production itself, being married to series creator Heidi Thomas. During interviews about the Christmas special, McGann teased: “There will be heat,” and promised viewers moments that are both dramatic and wonderful.
Laura Main (Shelagh Turner) – Main plays Shelagh Turner, the former nun-turned-doctor’s wife who joins the Hong Kong mission. She described the Christmas special as going to “completely new territory” both geographically and in terms of storyline development. Her character is central to the overseas rescue mission narrative.
Cliff Parisi (Fred Buckle) – Parisi has portrayed Fred since the show’s 2012 debut, appearing in approximately 118-120 episodes. Fred, who transitioned from handyman to shopkeeper, embodies the spirit of community in Poplar. For the Christmas special, Fred’s journey to Hong Kong serves as the catalyst for the international storyline.
Annabelle Apsion (Violet Buckle) – Apsion plays Fred’s wife Violet, and their trip to Hong Kong to visit Violet’s son creates the circumstances that trigger the rescue mission.
Additional cast members appearing in the special include Zephryn Taitte (Cyril Robinson), Fenella Woolgar (Sister Hilda), Judy Parfitt (Sister Monica Joan), Molly Veers (Sister Catherine), Natalie Quarry (Rosalind Clifford), Renee Bailey (Joyce Highland), Aoife McMahon (Queenie), and Christopher Harper (Geoffrey).
The Creative Team: Heidi Thomas and the All-Female Production Leadership
Call the Midwife is unique in British television for having an entirely female creative leadership team. Heidi Thomas (born August 13, 1962) serves as the show’s creator, writer, and showrunner. Thomas was born in Liverpool, Merseyside, England, and has worked in theatre and television for three decades, adapting classic novels including Little Women, I Capture the Castle, Ballet Shoes, and Cranford.
Thomas has been nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards and has won 8 awards across her career, with 13 additional nominations, reflecting her exceptional creative contributions to the medium. Her commitment to the show remains unwavering; she has emphasized that she has “never run out of stories for our midwives, and never will.”
The executive producers are Pippa Harris and Ann Tricklebank (who also produces), ensuring continuity and creative excellence across all projects in the expanding Call the Midwife universe. These three women will also helm series 16 together, cementing their partnership as the creative backbone of the franchise.
Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, commissioned the special and emphasized its significance: “Whether you’ve been watching from the very start or joined us for one of the more recent series, this is an incredibly exciting time to be a Call the Midwife fan.”
Production Details: Neal Street Productions for BBC and PBS
The two-part Christmas special is produced by Neal Street Productions in partnership with the BBC and PBS, reflecting the show’s international reach and prestige. Each episode runs 60 minutes, providing substantial runtime to develop both the Poplar and Hong Kong storylines effectively.
Neal Street Productions has been instrumental in making Call the Midwife one of Britain’s most successful drama exports. The production company is known for delivering high-quality, award-winning television that resonates with both British and international audiences.
The Setting: 1971 and the Cusp of Change
Unlike previous Call the Midwife specials set in retrospective time periods, the 2025 Christmas special takes place in 1971, a pivotal year in both British social history and the series’ timeline. As creator Heidi Thomas explains, she was born in 1962 and has vivid memories of Christmas 1971, which she describes as “peak Christmas” when she was nine years old.
The 1971 setting is significant because it allows the show to explore the collision between traditional Christmas nostalgia and emerging social changes. Thomas notes: “It is full of nostalgia for those 1970s Christmases, but it has got a lovely, diverse ring to it. Literally, we also cover Hanukkah, we celebrate the Jewish feast of lights, and there’s the whole Chinese, Hong Kong dimension.” This multicultural approach reflects the show’s commitment to authentically representing the diverse communities of East London and, now, the wider world.
An International Milestone: First-Ever Hong Kong Filming
The decision to film in Hong Kong marks a historic milestone for the show. Production took place on location in Hong Kong during the summer of 2025, with cast members joining the crew in the tropical climate to film the international sequences. The show’s official Instagram account documented the experience, noting: “Our team report that the weather is rather hot and humid, but morale is very high, and the work rather exciting.”
This international expansion demonstrates the show’s ambition to tell stories beyond the familiar geography of East London. The Hong Kong Branch House, which serves as the backdrop for part of the storyline, represents the Catholic nursing order’s commitment to global outreach and humanitarian service.
Cultural Themes: From Hanukkah to Hong Kong
The 2025 Christmas special deliberately embraces cultural and religious diversity in ways the show hasn’t fully explored before. By incorporating Hanukkah (the Jewish Feast of Lights), Chinese traditions, and the specific context of Hong Kong, the special challenges viewers to see Christmas not as a singular cultural celebration but as a moment when diverse communities come together.
Creator Heidi Thomas describes this approach eloquently: “It feels very, very rich. It’s very much like a melting pot of communities, it’s not just about one community. It’s about people coming together in the depths of winter and creating something bright out of the darkness, which is just lovely.”
This thematic approach aligns with the show’s broader mission, which has always been to examine childbirth, motherhood, and medical care across diverse communities and social circumstances.
Viewership and Cultural Impact: A Beloved Tradition
Call the Midwife has established itself as a cornerstone of British television. The show attracts enormous audiences for its festive specials: earlier Christmas specials have achieved viewership numbers exceeding 9 million viewers. The 2024 Christmas special was the most-watched scripted terrestrial programme of the festive period, drawing over 7.6 million consolidated viewers in its first seven days.
The show’s longevity and popularity reflect a genuine cultural need for quality drama that takes women’s experiences seriously. As Thomas has noted, the show has historically been dismissed as “lightweight” and “fluffy” because it focuses on female characters and experiences, but she has steadfastly refused to accept this characterization. Instead, she emphasizes that Call the Midwife tackles hard-hitting issues including domestic violence, poverty, bereavement, disability, and the realities of childbirth.
The Christmas specials hold special significance in this regard. The annual festive episodes have become a tradition since the show’s 2012 debut, with viewers expecting to welcome the Nonnatus House community into their homes each Christmas.
The Expanded Call the Midwife Universe: What’s Next
The 2025 Christmas special is just the beginning of an unprecedented expansion of the Call the Midwife franchise. Following the Christmas special, Series 15 will premiere in January 2026, featuring eight new hour-long episodes set in Poplar as the year 1971 progresses.
Series 15 will showcase the emerging women’s liberation movement, with storylines depicting the ladies embracing Women’s Lib and burning their bras outside Nonnatus House. The series will tackle challenging medical cases including premature birth, placenta previa, kidney cancer, tuberculosis, and slavery—reflecting the show’s commitment to exploring difficult subjects.
Beyond Series 15, the BBC has commissioned even more ambitious projects:
Call the Midwife: A Prequel Series (2026) – Set in Poplar during World War II and the Blitz, this new series will explore the early days of the nursing order. Heidi Thomas describes the Blitz years as “extraordinary – filled with loss, togetherness, courage and joy. The bombs fell, the babies kept on coming, and the Sisters kept on going.”
Call the Midwife Film (In Development) – Set overseas in 1972, the film will feature iconic characters from the TV series and marks a significant step in expanding the franchise into cinema.
When and Where to Watch
The two-part Call the Midwife Christmas special will air on:
- BBC One and BBC iPlayer (UK) on December 25 and December 26, 2025
- PBS and the PBS App (United States) on dates to be announced
Both parts will remain available on BBC iPlayer for extended streaming access following their initial broadcast, allowing viewers to catch up at their convenience.
Frequently Asked Questions
When exactly do the Christmas specials air?
Part 1 airs on December 25, 2025, and Part 2 airs on December 26, 2025, on BBC One, BBC iPlayer (UK), and PBS (US).
How long is each episode?
Each episode is 60 minutes long, providing substantial time to develop both the Poplar and Hong Kong storylines.
Will the specials be available for streaming after they air?
Yes, both parts will be available on BBC iPlayer and PBS platforms for on-demand viewing.
What year is the special set in?
The Christmas special is set in 1971, the current time period for the series.
Why are they filming in Hong Kong?
The special features a storyline where members of Nonnatus House head to Hong Kong on a mercy mission after Fred and Violet discover their branch house has collapsed.
Will longtime characters appear in the special?
Yes, all major cast members including Jenny Agutter, Helen George, Stephen McGann, and Laura Main return for the special.
What is the significance of the 1971 setting?
1971 represents a pivotal year in both British social history (with emerging Women’s Liberation movements) and nostalgic Christmas traditions for the show’s creator Heidi Thomas.
Will there be new series after the Christmas special?
Yes, Series 15 will begin in January 2026 with eight new episodes, followed by a prequel series, a film, and Series 16.
Is this the final Christmas special?
No, the special is part of an expanded universe of Call the Midwife content, with multiple projects in development.
What themes will the Christmas special explore?
The special emphasizes cultural and religious diversity, community coming together in winter, international humanitarian service, and personal transformation
