Sometimes family is a bunch of woke nuns; a revolving door of midwives that includes a give-no-fucks spinster and her give-no-fucks administrator sapphic situationship, an unlucky in love bisexual disaster and her gay brother and an Irish baddie and her bastard child; an ex-nun turned midwife, her doctor husband and their 4 children, one of who is a doctor in training who somehow completely recovered from polio with no lingering difficulties; the nuns’ and midwives’ handyman, his mayor/haberdasher wife and their adoptive son and the social worker ex-husband of one of the ex-midwives who lives above the haberdashery with his cat
"Who doesn't love finding an extra, unexpected present underneath the Christmas tree?"
For the first time in its history, Call the Midwife fans have a two-part Christmas special to look forward to ahead of new episodes in the New Year.
Rather than the traditional 90-minute instalment, the BBC has confirmed that there will be two 60-minute episodes, which will also include a Christmas cliffhanger.
"Who doesn't love finding an extra, unexpected present underneath the Christmas tree?" said creator and writer Heidi Thomas OBE.
"When I was asked to write a two-part Christmas special for 2024, I couldn't resist!"
Executive producer Dame Pippa Harris added: "For the first time, viewers can luxuriate in a two-part festive treat this Christmas. Heidi has created a spellbinding special which I know will delight our loyal fans."
Director of BBC Drama Lindsay Salt hailed Call the Midwife as "one of UK television's most popular festive traditions".
She continued: "And this year we wanted to go even better, with Call the Midwife's biggest Christmas ever!
"Heidi and the team have lined up an absolute treat, with two irresistible episodes packed full of everything fans will love about this very special series at Christmas time."
All of the "well-loved characters" will be back for the two-parter, which picks up in Christmas 1969.
The midwives are "all busy delivering babies and doing the job they are most dedicated and committed to", while Poplar also welcomes a funfair, which adds "a burst of colour and excitement to the frosty landscape".
But there will be challenges, including influenza and the Hong Kong flu, not to mention an escaped prisoner.
As the neighbourhood prepares for a carol concert, "fears grow that he may be in the local area after a spate of break-ins".
Elsewhere, "the Turner children are caught up in the fever surrounding the Blue Peter Christmas appeal to collect dinky cars and scrap metal, Trixie makes a fleeting visit to Nonnatus House and is delighted to see her brother Geoffrey, and Miss Higgins has her grandson Harry stay for Christmas".
Violet also has her hands full hosting a mince pie competition, "but the Buckles' preparations for Reggie’s homecoming are thrown into turmoil".
Nurse Crane and Sister Veronica making an exception for Nancy and Colette regarding TB hits different when you realize Nancy never had anyone to fight for her, to care enough to bend the rules, to find ways to reassure her, to realize she needed that reassurance - not since childhood anyway.
And now Nancy has it all. She has sisters, friends, mother figures, auntie figures, and people who will bend over backwards to care for her. Who will adjust rules to protect her daughter to reassure her.
They both went from being abused by convent sisters to being doted on by convent sisters and nurses. They went from having to live apart to sharing a makeshift apartment. They went from having to hide who they are to each other to being able to easily and loudly shout out how much they mean to each other and *who* they are to each other.
The way in which each of the sisters (nuns and nurses) care for Nancy and Colette makes me emotional.
