(BBC)

Call the Midwife has received another early renewal. BBC has renewed the long-running period drama series for seasons 12 and 13, keeping the show on the air until 2024. Season 10 debuts in the UK this Sunday night and season 11 will begin filming soon.

In the United States, the Call the Midwife show airs on PBS. A 10th season premiere date hasn’t been announced yet. Word is that a fall premiere is likely but an official date hasn’t been released.

Created by Heidi Thomas, Call the Midwife revolves around a group of nurse midwives working in the East End of London in the late 1950s and 1960s. The most recent Christmas special, which aired on Christmas 2020, stars Jenny Agutter, Linda Bassett, Judy Parfitt, Fenella Woolgar, Ella Bruccoleri, Helen George, Laura Main, Leonie Elliott, Stephen McGann, Cliff Parisi, Annabelle Apsion, Georgie Glen, Max Macmillan, Daniel Laurie, and Zephryn Taitte.

Here’s the renewal announcement:

BBC announces two further series of award-winning drama Call The Midwife

Two more series of multiple award-winning Call The Midwife have been commissioned for BBC One.

It’s an incredible privilege to be able to look back on a decade of Call The Midwife, and yet know that our journey is still very far from over. – Heidi Thomas

With series ten due to launch on Sunday 18 April at 8pm and series 11 about to commence filming, Call The Midwife will now be on air until 2024. Series 12 and 13, commissioned by Piers Wenger, Director of BBC Drama and Charlotte Moore, Chief Content Officer, will consist of two 8×60′ series and two Christmas specials.

Made by Neal Street Productions for BBC One and BBC iPlayer, Call The Midwife is celebrating its tenth anniversary series this year and continues to be one of Britain’s most popular and most watched drama series since it launched in 2012. The series attracts an enormous audience for BBC One, with its Christmas Specials achieving over 9 million viewers. Series nine was also the fourth biggest drama across all channels in 2020. The drama has won multiple awards across the decade for its depiction of challenging medical stories which are tackled by the nuns and midwives of Poplar.

Heidi Thomas, Creator, Writer and Executive Producer, says: “It’s an incredible privilege to be able to look back on a decade of Call The Midwife, and yet know that our journey is still very far from over. We are thrilled to be going on for a few more years! Like Nonnatus House itself, we have a proud past but an even more exciting future – full of old favourites, fresh faces, higher hemlines, new ideas. The stories we tell are like babies – they never stop coming, we love them all, and we vow to do our best by every single one.”

Pippa Harris, Executive Producer for Neal Street Productions, says: “We are all delighted by this vote of confidence from the BBC, and are looking forward to delivering more laughter, tears and babies for our loyal fans. Over the past ten years it has been an honour to see how warmly the show has been embraced by audiences around the world, thanks to the skilful writing of Heidi Thomas and the brilliant work of our cast and crew.”

Piers Wenger, Director of BBC Drama, says: “The enduring popularity of Call The Midwife is a testament to the extraordinary love and creativity from its creator Heidi Thomas and its producers Pippa Harris and Ann Tricklebank. We are delighted to have secured the future of Call The Midwife for two further series beyond those which are currently in production, and look forward to enjoying more adventures for the inhabitants of Nonnatus House for years to come.”

Series creator Heidi Thomas continues to lead the writing team and serve as Executive Producer alongside Pippa Harris and Ann Tricklebank. Executive Producer for the BBC is Mona Qureshi with Ann Tricklebank as Producer.

Call The Midwife returns this Sunday at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

What do you think? Do you watch the Call Your Midwife TV series on PBS? Are you glad to hear that it’s been renewed for two more years?