Photo: PBS

While UK fans of Call the Midwife have been enjoying the new series since early January, PBS viewers in the U.S. don’t have much longer to wait as the bike-riding midwives from Nonnatus House return to Sunday nights beginning March 19 on PBS.

Based originally on the memoirs of Jennifer Worth who worked with the Community of St. John the Divine, follows a group of midwives working in the East End of London in the late 1950s as they cope with the pressures of their everyday lives as well as the changing times they are living through.

For series 12, it’s 1968, and the nuns and nurses from Nonnatus House welcome a new nun, Sister Veronica, and tension in Poplar arises following the effects of Enoch Powell’s “Rivers of Blood” speech.

Photo: BBC

The infamous speech creates serious tension in Poplar, especially when a group of dockers march in support of Powell. Sister Veronica, who’s an instant hit with everyone – except Nurse Crane. Meanwhile, Trixie’s relationship with Matthew goes from strength to strength, while Nurse Crane helps Nancy with her financial woes.

Sister Julienne enjoys helping out the district, Shelagh and Dr. Turner split their time between the busy maternity home and their lively young family and Reggie continues to bring joy into Violet and Fred’s lives.

Returning for series 12 are Jenny Agutter (Logan’s Run, The Railway Children, Spooks), Linda Bassett (Lark Rise to Candleford), Judy Parfitt, Ella Bruccoleri (Genius: Picasso), Helen George (Doctors), Laura Main, Leonie Elliott (Black Mirror), Stephen McGann (The Hanging Gale, Emmerdale), Cliff Parisi (EastEnders), Annabelle Apsion (Hillsborough, The Lakes), Georgie Glen, Max Macmillan, Daniel Laurie, Zephryn Taitte, Megan Cusack and Olly Rix.

Speaking to Radio Times as to how long CTM could continue (series 13 has already been commissioned by the BBC), creator/writer Heidi Thomas (Cranford, Upstairs Downstairs) said, “I think in principle, it could go into the 1970s. The order of nuns on whom the Nonnatus nuns are based stay in the East End until 1976, but I think more importantly than that single historic fact is that of women’s lives and the lives of the working classes as well, because increasingly over the years we’ve written about them, which I think also brings in a fresh dynamic which is always changing.”

Call the Midwife S12 premieres Sunday, March 19 at 8pET/7pCT on PBS and followed the same night at 9pET/8pCT by the final series premiere of Sanditon and then to cap off the night, the series premiere of Marie Antoinette at 10pET/9pCT.