‘Call the Midwife’ holiday special mixes dark with humor as life doesn’t stop for Christmas…
With the 2024 Call the Midwife Holiday Special just around the corner, word has begun to leak out as to what long-time fans can expect from the brilliant series. While it appears there will be more ‘dramatic’ scenes than the usual CTM holiday special, the first-ever 2-part episode promises to protect its usual dose of humor and humanity.
Speaking to RadioTimes.com and other press about the upcoming Christmas episode (airing Christmas Day on BBC1 and PBS in America), Jenny Agutter (Sister Julienne) said: “For me, when I read it, I was very touched by it. It’s quite Dickensian. It is quite dark, but within that is a lot of humor and a lot of humanity, and that’s what lightens it. It’s just the recognition that we’re in difficult times, we’ve been in difficult times, we always were in difficult times. As you say, life goes on and Christmas doesn’t make it easier. It is for some, but not for everybody.“
Laura Main (Shelagh Turner) expressed a similar sentiment saying: “I think it also feels really apt as a Christmas story to not just be full of joy and cheer, because life doesn’t stop for Christmas. Life can be difficult, and so that’s reflected in the story. To take a moment to think of others, and see people serving others, is a nice message at Christmas.“
Having the right mix of dramatic darkness and humor/humanity is nothing new for the series as it enters its 14th season as they have never been one to shy away from the headlines that appeared daily in a 1950s/60s world.
This year’s holday special is no exception as in the midst of preparing for the annual Christmas concert, Poplar is gripped by the news of an escaped prisoner and the growing fears that he may be in the local area. Cases of influenza and the Hong Kong flu are mixed with the Turner children caught up in the fever surrounding the Blue Peter Christmas appeal to collect dinky cars and scrap metal.
The ultimate Christmas gift to us all from the team behind CTM comes the happy news that filming on season 14 has officially wrapped with new episodes set to air in 2025 on BBC and PBS.
If that wasn’t enough to make this a happy Christmas, Call the Midwife season 15 has already been confirmed, so there’s plenty more drama to come in 2026!
In: Drama
