BBC mega-hit, Call the Midwife has due date of September 30 on PBS

When Jenny Lee (Jessica Raine) first arrives in London’s East End, she knows nothing about hardship, poverty or indeed, life itself. Raised in the wealthy English countryside, she’s previously spent time in Paris and could have chosen any career. But she chose to become a nurse and now, as a newly qualified midwife, Jenny has come to work in the poorest area of the city. Jenny comes to Nonnatus House to work as a midwife under the watchful guidance of Jenny Agutter along with Pam Ferris, Miranda Hart and Judy Parfitt.

Call the Midwife is a moving, intimate, funny and, above all, true-to-life look at the colorful stories of midwifery and families in East London in the 1950s, based on the best-selling memoirs of the late Jennifer Worth. Worth worked closely with Heidi Thomas (Cranford, Upstairs Downstairs) to develop the series right up until her untimely death in 2011.

Having had the opportunity to screen several of the episodes of series one back in February at the BBC Showcase in Liverpool, I can say first hand that the series is a brilliant portrayal of birth, life, death and a community on the brink of huge social change. What seems to immediately attract both male and female audience of all ages is how the series provides such an insightful, gripping insight into a world that is so drastically different from how we live today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aS7Gopn8grA&

Series one premieres on PBS stations in the States beginning Sunday, September 30 at 7:00p CT/8:00p ET. A second series was commissioned after only two episodes had broadcast on BBC One. Danny Cohen, BBC One Controller, commented: “Call the Midwife has had a huge impact with audiences. It’s a very high-quality drama series from a brilliant team. It manages to be both hard-hitting and emotional, gritty and warm. I am already looking forward to the second series.” I’m guessing the fact that 9.8 million viewers watched the premiere didn’t hurt its chances for a second series either. Whatever the reason, viewers on both sides of the pond can rest easy knowing that another 8 episodes are just around the corner in late 2012, early 2013.