Call the Midwife ratings confirmed for 2-part Christmas special
It was a historical win for the BBC.
The overnight ratings for this year's Call the Midwife Christmas special are in, and they certainly reflect the popularity of the show, with millions tuning in to watch the beloved period drama over this festive season.
This year, for the very first time, the episode was split into two parts, with the first airing on Christmas Day (25th December) and the second airing on Boxing Day (26th December).
As confirmed by the BBC, the first episode drew in a total of 4.42 million viewers.
Its viewership was topped only by Gavin & Stacey (12.32m), Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (9.38m) and The King's Speech (6.82m), marking the first time that all 10 most watched Christmas Day shows were screened on BBC One.
Meanwhile, the second episode topped the Boxing Day charts, peaking at round 4 million viewers and beating a new episode of Outnumbered to the top spot.
The 14th season of Call the Midwife is set to land on screens this upcoming January, and is expected to tackle several storylines, including Nancy's new romance, Trixie and Matthew's marriage and Joyce being subjected to racism.
Read more:
- Call the Midwife's Nancy swept off her feet as romance deepens
- Call the Midwife reveals update on Trixie and Matthew – and when she'll return again
Renee Bailey, who plays Joyce, recently spoke to RadioTimes.com and other press about the latter storyline, expaining: "I feel like it's a lot of her balancing all the cases that she deals with, but also the intersections of being a Black woman from the Caribbean in this country, where she's not always going to be wanted, but still having to be a professional and having to paint on a smile and still go to work every day.
"We all do that in different ways in the workplace anyway, but that is a big thing for her this season as well… the mask that you have to wear as a health professional when you're experiencing or witnessing people experiencing things that you might have experienced yourself … and having to just push it all down and still show up."
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Call the Midwife season 14 begins on Sunday 5th January at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
Chezelle Bingham is a Sub-Editor for Radio Times. She previously worked on Disney magazines as a Writer, for 6 pre-school and primary titles. Alongside her prior work in writing, she possesses a BA in English Literature and Language.
