Call the Midwife series 10 – when is it back? What will happen? Who is in the cast? All you need to know

It’s been a tough year for drama addicts as so many of our favourite series have been cancelled or delayed by the coronavirus pandemic.

But there is hope on the horizon for Call the Midwife fans, as the period drama is almost ready to return for a tenth season after a long break.

Here’s all we know so far about the new episodes, who will appear in them, and when we’ll finally be back at Nonnatus House.

When is Call the Midwife series 10 on TV?

Great news! The series finally has an air date - Sunday, April 18 at 8pm on BBC One.

Call the Midwife left a gaping hole in our viewing schedule in the New Year as it missed its traditional January slot for a new series.

The BBC drama had been delayed in filming by five months because of the coronavirus pandemic, which had called a halt to production in March 2020.

When some restrictions were lifted, the team worked around the clock to get the Christmas special ready on time, and as usual it was a ratings triumph for Christmas Day.

Call the Midwife would usually continue straight from its seasonal special into a new series, but with episodes still being filmed we were forced to wait.

The show finally confirmed on February 19 that the shoot was complete by tweeting: “BREAKING NEWS! It’s a wrap!! Series 10 of #CallTheMidwife completes filming!!”

What will happen in it?

Call the Midwife creator Heidi Thomas gave a small hint as to what was in store for series 10 when she was interviewed about the 2020 Christmas special last year.

She said: “We are now exactly halfway through filming series 10, and in story terms are up to the summer of 1966 (no spoilers - England win the World Cup!). Everything feels full of optimism.”

But looking at other events from 1966, we may be expecting some sadder moments, too. It was, after all, the year of the Aberfan disaster when a mountain of coal waste collapsed onto a South Wales primary school, killing 116 children and 28 adults.

Elsewhere, a general election saw Prime Minister Harold Wilson gain a comfortable majority for Labour in March that year.

Thomas has previously said that by series 11, one year on from the upcoming episodes, abortion and homosexuality would be decriminalised.

She said: “So I know we’ll be referencing those and we might be referencing the journey towards those things.”

Talking ahead of the Christmas special about how coronavirus had affected filming, Thomas said: “Filming with Covid restrictions in place has been interesting, and successful. In some ways we had a head start, as when you have as many newborn babies on set as we do, you are never more than six inches from a bottle of sanitiser!”

Stephen McGann, who plays Dr Turner, added: “The great thing about when you have to film things under unusual circumstances is that this is a problem-solving industry. Every day you arrive on set, you have to solve a new problem.

"You wanted a sunny day on location, but it's raining. You expected a truck to be there, but it's late. So you have to work out new ways to film. In an extraordinary time like this, where you're faced with a different set of problems, you just get on and you fix them.”

“It seems so strange when you begin filming the birth scenes. It's very unusual not being able to touch anyone because we are in a contact sport. But before you know it, you're enjoying the challenge and hopefully what then comes out has focus and concentration.”

Who is in the series 10 cast?

Expect to see many a familiar face back for series 10, including show stars Jenny Agutter as Sister Julienne, Helen George as Trixie, Laura Main as Shelagh Turner, Stephen McGann as Dr Turner, and Cliff Parisi as Fred.

Viewers can also look out for Linda Bassett (Nurse Crane), Judy Parfitt (Sister Monica Joan), Fenella Woolgar (Sister Hilda), Ella Bruccoleri (Sister Frances), Leonie Elliott (Lucille), Annabelle Apsion (Violet), Georgie Glen (Miss Higgins), Max Macmillan (Timothy), Daniel Laurie (Reggie) and Zephryn Taitte (Cyril).

Helen George , who has played Trixie since the first series, said: “The 10th anniversary is a really big deal for Call the Midwife. We started out thinking it would just be a small show for six episodes, and here we are 10 years later!

“Being with a character that long, you see them grow and change. When I look back to Trixie very early on, the journey she has gone on has been huge.”

George added: “During lockdown, people have been going back to the first series and watching it all from the start. That's a lot of episodes! But it's great that people are still wanting the show and wanting us there.

“I can't believe I've been with the show for 10 years. It feels pretty amazing. Not many people get to do a show for 10 years with the viewing figures we're still getting.”

Cliff Parisi, who plays Fred, said of the 10th anniversary: “I just hope this is just halfway! I’m hoping we’re going to do 20 years! People’s enthusiasm for the show is there and always growing. I am amazed like everybody that we’ve done 10 years but here we are, and, in my opinion, the show gets better every year.”

Call the Midwife series 10 will return to BBC One on Sunday, April 18 at 8pm.

Series 1-9 are available to watch on BBC iPlayer and BritBox