Call the Midwife is ringing in the festive season in style this year, returning with not one but two Christmas specials for 2025. And, true to form, Poplar is set for plenty of joy, heartache and classic midwifery drama.
While series 15 lands on BBC One in January 2026, fans have a double helping of festive storytelling to enjoy first – always the sparkling gems of the BBC’s Christmas lineup.
In a treat for long-time viewers, this year’s specials will take part of the action overseas. Senior members of Nonnatus House will travel to Hong Kong on a mercy mission, while the younger midwives remain in Poplar to hold the fort – and inevitably face chaos of their own.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Call the Midwife Christmas special 2025…
Is there a Call the Midwife Christmas special 2025?
Yes, there are actually two festive episodes this year, just like we had in 2024.
Last year, the series changed from the traditional 90-minute Christmas episode to two one-hour offerings. This year will be the same, with the series picking up shortly after where series 14 ended.
The last series saw romance blossom between Cyril and Rosalind as they spent more time together. Will they get to enjoy their first Christmas as a couple without any drama?
Series 14 also saw Nancy and Roger get married on the same day as welcoming a daughter into the world. It has been revealed that Nancy has left Poplar to live with Roger, along with their new baby girl and Nancy’s eldest daughter, Colette. Could someone new be heading to Nonnatus House to replace her?
What is the plot for the festive special?
With the senior staff on a mercy mission in Hong Kong, there will be a different feel to this year’s yuletide offering.
As Fred and Violet head to Hong Kong to visit her son, Derek, they soon find that death and destruction have hit after a devastating building collapse at the Mother House. Soon, Doctor Turner, Shelagh, Sister Julienne, Sister Veronica and Nurse Crane head to Hong Kong to join them on a mercy mission.
Once there, the team discover nuns and orphans are among the injured. But it’s not just finding medical supplies and abandoned babies that the team faces – there is also an outbreak of tuberculosis and terrifying triads to contend with.
Meanwhile, Doctor Turner and Shelagh try to track down May’s birth mother, Esther, in the Walled City, but soon unearth an underground crime network that leaves them with an impossible decision to make.
Speaking of filming in the usually sun-drenched Far East, show creator Heidi Thomas said: “We were hit with a typhoon while filming, but the cast and crew were back on set the following day. The water was up to their knees, and some of the scenes were filmed in wellies!”
What is happening in Poplar?
We will also still be getting a traditional Call the Midwife Christmas we all know and love, as the younger staff from Nonnatus House stay at home to spend the festive period in snowy Poplar.
Back in London, Trixie and Geoffrey find an elderly man, Mr Fischer, lying in the snow. They walk him home and discover he has a terminal blood disorder. As his health declines, Sister Monica Joan visits, as she remembered delivering his sibling in the same flat. But will she be able to bring him comfort in his final hours?
Also in Poplar, Rosalind and Joyce host a Christmas gathering with their friends and colleagues. One treat you must watch out for is seeing Timothy, Geoffrey and Harry as we have never seen them before!
Who is in the cast for the Call the Midwife Christmas specials 2025?
All the familiar faces fans adore will be back for this year’s Call the Midwife Christmas specials.
Helen George returns as Trixie Franklin for both the festive episodes and season 15, joined once again by Jenny Agutter as Sister Julienne and Linda Bassett as the ever-dependable Nurse Phyllis Crane.
Rebecca Gethings is back as Sister Veronica, Georgie Glen reprises her role as Miss Higgins, and Judy Parfitt returns as the cherished Sister Monica Joan. Sister Hilda, played by Fenella Woolgar, will also be part of the new instalments.
The younger midwives are back too, with Renee Bailey as Joyce Highland and Natalie Quarry as Rosalind Clifford. Over at the Turner household, Stephen McGann returns as Doctor Turner, along with Laura Main as Shelagh and Max Macmillan as Timothy. Alice Brown, April Rae Hoang and Edward Shaw also return as Angela, May and little Teddy.
Poplar favourites Cliff Parisi and Annabelle Apsion are back as Fred and Violet Buckle, while Daniel Laurie returns as Reggie Jackson and Zephryn Taitte as Cyril Robinson.
Series 14’s newest addition, Molly Vevers, reprises her role as Sister Catherine – the thoughtful Scottish postulant who took her vows in last year’s finale and is continuing her midwifery training.
And bringing some much-needed levity, Trixie’s lovable brother Geoffrey, played by Christopher Harper, is also back. Eisa Latif returns too as Harry, Miss Higgins’ grandson, ready to add a little extra festive sparkle.
When is the Call the Midwife Christmas special?
The BBC hasn’t confirmed the exact broadcast dates or times just yet, but Call the Midwife’s Christmas specials almost always land on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
All signs point to the 2025 episodes following that familiar festive tradition once again.
Read more: Call the Midwife fans thrilled as BBC announces new series, prequel series and a film
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