Filming Begins On Brand New 'Call The Midwife' Series And Special

Filming has begun on the brand new eight episode series of 'Call The Midwife', along with a Christmas special scheduled for this year.

The new eighth series is expected to air on BBC One in 2019.

Miriam Margolyes ('Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets', 'Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows', 'Miriam's Big American Adventure') stars in the Christmas special and episode one as Sister Mildred, a forthright and indefatigable sister from the Order.

The new cast members are Fenella Woolgar ('Victoria & Abdul', 'Harlots' and 'War & Peace'), who plays Sister Hilda, Ella Bruccoleri ('Genius: Picasso', 'The Last Kingdom') as postulant Sister Frances and Georgie Glen ('Waterloo Road', 'Damned') as Miss Higgins, the surgery's new receptionist.

The new series is set in the spring time of 1964 and everyone is excited for the Queen's Royal birth.

Made by Neal Street Productions for BBC One, Call the Midwife has been one of Britain's most popular drama series since it launched in 2012 and it continues to be one of the most watched dramas in the UK, with all seven series to date gaining over 10 million viewers. It was the highest-rated show on Christmas Day (2017) with 9.5 million, overtaking last year's by nearly 3 million.

Dame Pippa Harris, Executive Producer, said: "We are all thrilled to be filming once again with our beloved team of midwives and nuns from Nonnatus House. This year we have the additional treat of Miriam Margolyes as a guest star and cannot wait for audiences to see her as the formidable Sister Mildred. We hope that viewers will also warmly embrace our two new Sisters, played by Fenella and Ella, and the fabulous Georgie Glen who plays Doctor Turner's indomitable new receptionist, Miss Higgins. It's an honour to have such skillful, and charismatic actors joining the cast and bringing Heidi Thomas' wonderful scripts to life."

Heidi Thomas, Creator, Writer and Executive Producer added: "It is an immense privilege to be starting work on series eight of Call The Midwife, and we can't wait to share the events of 1964 with our loyal and passionate audience. People often ask me how we can keep coming back year after year, but the answer is simple - we never run out of stories, and we never run out of love."

Call the Midwife is created and written by Heidi Thomas, and the Executive Producers are Pippa Harris, Heidi Thomas and Ann Tricklebank. The Executive Producer for the BBC is Mona Qureshi, with Ann Tricklebank as Producer. The Christmas special and episode one will be directed by Syd Macartney ('Last Tango In Halifax', 'The Syndicate', 'A Love Divided').