It's a Double Helping of Christmas with a 'Call The Midwife' Two-Part Special

The BBC has announced it will be a double helping of Christmas joy for 2024, as it has been revealed the broadcaster's commission for the Call The Midwife Festival Special is a two-part double episode surprise. One of the most popular entries to the yearly special lineup during the holiday season, the Call the Midwife special also has the added boost of being the show's return just before the new season begins after the New Year. In this case, the special represents the close of a decade: 1969 and the 60s won't be allowed to roll out of Poplar until we've had a full two-hour send-off.

The run-up to the holidays in the U.K. is peppered with announcements of forthcoming specials, from brand-new adaptations of classics like A Christmas Carol to special holiday-themed performances on an extra hour of Strictly. But some of the most anticipated holiday editions are of long-running, beloved shows like Doctor Who, All Creatures Great & Small, and Call the Midwife. These specials are rewarded to the most culturally symbolic and highest-rated shows on the BBC, and it said a lot about how the broadcaster felt about Call the Midwife when it received its first Christmas commission directly following the first season.

Since that first December 2012 special, the series has had one yearly, but always a single feature-length, 90-minute installment. Season 14's pair of Festive Specials marks the first time the series has been given a two-hour block.

Here's the Double Christmas Special synopsis:

All the regular, well-loved characters will return for a Christmas set in 1969 where the Nonnatus midwives are in their element, all busy delivering babies and doing the job they are most dedicated and committed to. The funfair comes to Poplar, adding a burst of colour and excitement to the frosty landscape but there are other visitors to the borough - including influenza and the Hong Kong flu. As Poplar also prepares for a carol concert, the neighbourhood is gripped by the news of an escaped prisoner and fears grow that he may be in the local area after a spate of break-ins. The Turner children are caught up in the fever surrounding the Blue Peter Christmas appeal to collect dinky cars and scrap metal. Trixie makes a fleeting visit to Nonnatus House and is delighted to see her brother Geoffrey, and Miss Higgins has her grandson Harry stay for Christmas. Violet hosts a mince pie competition but the Buckles’ preparations for Reggie’s homecoming are thrown into turmoil.

"All the regular well-loved characters" for the two-part special include Judy Parfitt as Sister Monica Joan, Jenny Agutter as Sister Julienne, Laura Main as Shelagh Turner, Helen George as Trixie Aylward, Cliff Parisi as Fred Buckle, Stephen McGann as Dr. Turner, Linda Bassett as Nurse Crane, Megan Cusack as Nancy Corrigan, Annabelle Apsion as Violet Buckle, Georgie Glen as Miss Higgins, Zephryn Taitte as Cyril Robinson, Rebecca Gethings as Sister Veronica, Daniel Laurie as Reggie Jackson, Renee Bailey as Joyce Highland, Natalie Quarry as Rosalind Clifford, Alice Brown as Angela Turner, Francesca Fullilove as Colette Corrigan, April Rae Hoang as May Tang and Edward Shaw as Teddy Turner.

Call the Midwife Season 14's 2024 Festival Special episodes will air and stream on the BBC on Christmas Day, December 25, 2024, and Season 15 will follow in early 2025. PBS has not yet confirmed when the show will premiere in the U.S., considering its two-part nature, but it has assured us that both will come "during the 2024 holiday season." Seasons 10-13 are available to stream for members on PBS Passport, with their holiday specials arriving to join them on November 25, 2024. (Seasons 1-9 are available on Netflix in the U.S.) Season 14 will follow in early 2025 on most local PBS stations. Season 15 is already greenlit.