'Call the Midwife' Teases 2024 Special & Season 14 in New Photos

The trend of advancing a period piece series forward one year per season was not new when Call The Midwife began using it over a decade ago, but the ubiquity of the BBC's hit —which started in the late 1950s with Season 1 and will now cross in the 1970s with Season 14 — turned it into a leading example of the format. It's the perfect way to handle an ensemble soap opera that does not air year-round, allowing the long-term actors to age gracefully, giving each season a few historical moments to center episodes around, and letting the designers update wardrobes and set as the series goes on.

However, nothing (and I mean nothing) quite marks the passage of time as the children. Though Call The Midwife could rightly be called a "baby of the week" series, most of those newborns are one-and-done appearances, heading home with the episode's guest star upon the installment's conclusion. That being said, the series has family units, be it the Buckles or the Alwyns. The Turner clan is the most extensive, a blended mix of siblings, with parents Patrick (Stephen McGann) and Shelagh (Laura Main) raising Timothy, Angela, May, and Edward Turner.

Fans who have watched since the first season have watched actor Max Macmillan grow up on the show as Timothy, going from grade school imp to university student. The same is currently true of Alice Brown and April Rae Hong, who portray the Turners' adopted daughters, 10-year-old Angela and 9-year-old May, respectively. Then there's Edward, who everyone calls Teddy, age seven, played by Ned Shaw for the last few seasons. As these child actors grow up on set, they learn all the different aspects of creating TV, apparently including directing. They also welcome any new child actor into their ranks, including a new arrival for the Christmas special, Myla Park. 

As viewers can see from the caption, little Myla Park is boarding the series for the Christmas Special, though who she plays is currently under wraps. However, the plot of the Christmas Special will apparently include the arrival of a fun fair in Poplar.

So far, Park is the only guest star confirmed for the December episode. She'll be joined by the main cast returning from Season 13 (excluding Olly Rix). That includes the aforementioned MacMillian, Brown, Hong, and Shaw, Francesca Fullilove, who plays Nancy's daughter Collette, plus adult stars Main, McGann, Judy Parfitt, Jenny Agutter, Cliff Parisi, Annabelle Apsion, Linda Bassett, Daniel Laurie, Georgie Glen, Zephryn Taitte, Megan Cusack, Rebecca Gethings, Renee Bailey, and Natalie Quarry. 

Helen George is still not confirmed for Christmas, but Christoper Harper, who plays her bother Geoffrey, is included in the photos. However, George will be back for Season 14 proper, as this photo from filming from the regular season reveals.

Call the Midwife Seasons 10-13, along with their holiday specials, are available to stream for members on PBS Passport. Seasons 1-9 are available in the U.S. on Netflix. The 2024 Festive Special will air and stream on the BBC on Christmas Day, December 25, 2024, and Season 14 will follow in early 2025.