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BBC Starts Filming Call the Midwife Blitz Special

6/19/2026

26 2 Full Breakdown

Summary

BBC Films Blitz

BBC began filming the three-part Christmas special Call the Midwife: Sisters in Arms.
The drama is set in September 1939 during the WWII London Blitz at Nonnatus House.
Heidi Thomas and Dame Pippa Harris serve as showrunner and executive producer, respectively.
Filming takes place at Longcross, Surrey.
The special, narrated by Jenny Agutter as Sister Julienne, will air at Christmas 2026.

Summary

Women Blitz

The special will focus on women’s wartime experiences, mixing love, birth, separation and courage.
Thomas says the drama will show civilian details like lipstick and nylons in the Blitz.
Sister Monica Joan returns, cycling through an air-raid to symbolize resilience after her series 15 death.
Fred Buckle appears as a 20-year-old volunteer fireman while Sister Evangelina serves as an Air Raid Warden.

Summary

Midwife Prequel

A prequel series will extend Call the Midwife to the early days of Nonnatus House.
Helen Schlesinger will portray a young Sister Monica Joan, succeeding Judy Parfitt’s older version.
Amy Booth-Steel will appear as a youthful Sister Evangelina, deepening that character’s origin.
The series will chronicle the East London convent’s origins and show how the Blitz forged its nurses, midwives and nuns.

History

Historical Context

The London Blitz, Nazi Germany’s bombing from 7 September 1940 to 10 May 1941, struck the capital for 57 nights, destroying over one million homes and killing more than 40,000 civilians. The crisis drove the Ministry of Health and the Royal College of Nursing to recruit thousands of volunteer nurses, while groups like the St Paul’s Watch defended landmarks. BBC’s “Call the Midwife: Sisters in Arms” dramatizes this civilian resilience.

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BBC Films Blitz

BBC began filming the three-part Christmas special Call the Midwife: Sisters in Arms.
The drama is set in September 1939 during the WWII London Blitz at Nonnatus House.
Heidi Thomas and Dame Pippa Harris serve as showrunner and executive producer, respectively.
Filming takes place at Longcross, Surrey.
The special, narrated by Jenny Agutter as Sister Julienne, will air at Christmas 2026.

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