When is Call the Midwife series 7 on TV?
The nuns and nurses of Nonnatus House will be back – and they've got plenty of stories left to tell. Find out what time the series is back on BBC1
This Christmas gave us another dose of Call the Midwife, which means a full series of the BBC1 drama favourite isn't far away...
The festive special became one of the biggest shows of the Christmas period with its story of the 1963 Big Freeze, and winter hasn't gone away as series seven begins.
When is Call the Midwife series seven back on TV?
Call the Midwife has confirmed that the new series will begin on Sunday 21st January at 8pm on BBC1.
Who's joining the cast in Call the Midwife series seven?
The series will see new nurse Lucille Anderson introduced to Nonnatus House. The character is the BBC1 show's first West Indian nurse, and will be played by rising star Leonie Elliott.
Find out more about new Call the Midwife star Leonie Elliott here.
Is there a trailer for Call the Midwife series seven?
Yes, check it out below.
Will there be another series of Call The Midwife?
Yes! The BBC is so happy with the drama that they’ve already ordered series and Christmas specials to continue until 2020.
What’s going to happen in Call The Midwife series seven?
1963 has plenty in store for our midwives and the people of Poplar. We caught up with the cast at a screening in London and this is what they told us:
Trixie Franklin will struggle with her alcoholism
Trixie and her new boyfriend Christopher’s daughter, Alexandra, really hit it off in series six, bonding over crushed raspberry nail polish and the prospect of a trip to Boots. The divorced dentist seems totally smitten with Nonnatus House’s independent woman – where will things go next?
In the middle of all this, we’ll also see her struggle with her alcohol addiction. “There's also just the ongoing struggle of alcoholism, the everyday struggle, the trying to resist it even when you're knackered and you're having a really hard time at work, not reaching for a drink at the end of the day,” George explains. Her recovery will be an ongoing struggle.
As actress Helen George gave birth to a baby daughter in September, we know that Trixie will also be absent from a couple of episodes – but we don’t know how her temporary exit will be handled.
Sister Monica Joan will face a scary operation
Sister Monica Joan, who has now retired and is suffering from dementia, will face a serious physical problem that "results in something that, at the time, was a very serious thing to undergo,” says actress Judy Parfitt.
Heidi Thomas adds: "We set it up as a little bit of a medical mystery, and so we want it to just unfold over a couple of episodes."
Where are Barbara and Tom – and are they coming back?
Newlyweds Nurse Barbara and Rev Tom Hereward made a big decision in the Christmas special: they would move to Birmingham for six months so Tom could take a job as a curate. What will happen when they come back?
Charlotte Ritchie explains: “He has this opportunity to take a different job and discover a new parish, and I think it's a great opportunity for him, and we know it's possibly only temporary. So it's a new adventure for us."
Shelagh and Dr Turner welcome ANOTHER addition to the household
Shelagh and Doctor Turner have just become the proud parents of a new baby boy, while Timothy developed an interest in some of his female classmates and little Angela continued to grow into a beautiful young girl. Dr Turner’s surgery is as busy as ever and Shelagh is itching to get back to work – but that means hiring an au pair.
She may have second thoughts when the au pair arrives. "She's initially quite surprised and concerned at just quite how beautiful and lovely she is,” says actress Laura Main. "But she is lovely and a great help. "I think she's initially worried about Patrick here, but I think it's Timothy's head that's turned.” Stephen McGann adds: "Tim is not a child any more…"
Sister Winifred gets involved – and gets angry
Series seven will bring a lot of character development for Sister Winifred, as well as a big medical case. “She becomes a bit more emotional this year, a bit more frustrated, the anger leaks out,” Victoria Yeates tells us. “And then there's an interesting storyline where she discovers a child at school who's covered with bruises and obviously thinks there's some neglect and abuse going on.”
But there will be more to this story than Sister Winifred initially thinks.
Nurse Valerie recovers from her traumatic Christmas
Nurse Valerie Dyer had a severe knock to her confidence in the Christmas special, when a baby she had diagnosed as stillborn suddenly woke up. But the incident will actually bring her closer to the other midwives.
"I guess her confidence be knocked, but also it leading to her sharing more about herself, because up until this point she's been quite guarded,” says actress Jennifer Kirby. “It was a big release for her to tell somebody something about herself and to be open about her difficulties and her struggles.”
No romance for Nurse Phyllis Crane – yet
Viewers who got excited about Nurse Crane’s clash with Sergeant Woolf in the Christmas special should rein it in, because actress Linda Bassett says this unlikely romance is not moving quickly.
"If it's happening it's a very slow burn. I think it would take a lot for Phyllis to actually yield again,” she says. “He does keep twinkling, but it just - she's not twinkling back much. Yet!"
Where have Patsy and Delila gone? And Sister Mary Cynthia?
Patsy and Delia were reunited as Nurse Mount FINALLY returned from Hong Kong following her father’s death. She promised Delia that if she left again she’d be taking her with her. BUT the actresses, Emerald Fennell and Kate Lamb, both quit the show before filming for series seven began - so this is a storyline we may never see fully resolved.
And then, of course, there’s Sister Mary Cynthia – or Cynthia, as she's now known. She left Nonnatus House to recuperate at Northfield after her struggle with mental health issues, and actress Bryony Hannah has now announced she won’t be coming back for series seven.
