Call the Midwife isn't ending yet – but should it end soon? ...Middle East

At the end of last month, Call the Midwife fans were hit with the upsetting news that the 15th season, due in early 2026, could be the last full run of the beloved period drama, which has been a mainstay of the BBC schedule since 2012.

The broadcaster was quick to dispel the rumours, however, confirming that viewers could look forward to "two Christmas specials, a new series, a film and prequel series, before a 16th series in due course. Call the Midwife isn’t going anywhere".

That’s great news, of course, but with the 15th instalment being set in 1971 and the spin-off film following some of the characters on an overseas break from Poplar in 1972, the nostalgic nursing drama is already a long way from its late 1950s origins.

During its impressive 13-year run, the show has already had to adapt to explore advances in NHS care and changes in attitudes to parenthood, relationships and the roles of nuns and midwives across the various decades, but if the show wades further into the 1970s, there will more sizeable developments on the cards, which could alter the tone of the show and subsequently turn it into something else entirely.

So — as much as we love Call the Midwife — would it be better for the original series to come to an end sooner rather than later, before it becomes too modern?

Should the now-confirmed 16th season, which will presumably be set in 1972 or 1973, be the final goodbye to the midwives at Nonnatus House?

For those who loved the historic charm of the earlier seasons, the answer is yes. If the series carries on (and on), future storylines could include maternity breakthroughs such as IVF (the first test tube baby was born in 1978), the rise of doulas and the routine use of ultrasound tests in pregnancy.

And as it moves towards later decades, when many more audience members would have been alive, it may feel less like a warm period drama and more like Casualty, which confusingly now has ex-Call the Midwife star Olly Rix among its cast.

Moving further into the 1970s and 1980s would also mean that the heart of the show — the Nonnatus House midwives and nuns — could be lost, as in the real world during this time period.

More births moved to hospitals, and home births and newer approaches such as water births tended to be overseen by midwives based at big institutions, rather than cosy local practices.

There is also the cast to consider. Midwives have come and gone over the years, and the show has survived the departure of beloved characters such as Jenny Lee (Jessica Raine), Miranda Hart’s Chummy and Patsy Mount (Emerald Fennell) by introducing new and interesting replacements (although one of those, Megan Cusack’s Nancy, has also now departed).

But there are core characters, including Jenny Agutter’s adored Sister Julienne, Stephen McGann’s Patrick Turner, Helen George’s Trixie and Laura Main’s Shelagh, who are as much of the Poplar landscape as Fred and Violet’s shop, but who can’t be expected to remain in their medical jobs forever.

Dr Patrick Turner must surely be ready for retirement soon, though we suppose his son Tim could become the new Doctor Turner in a few years, with his dad providing sage advice and rambling old war stories from his comfy armchair.

And while nuns are nuns for life, Sister Julienne would probably love to hang up her forceps, put her accounting book away, and finally step down as midwife and sister-in-charge at Nonnatus House.

Call us sentimental, but the series wouldn’t be the same without her in charge, dispensing wise words over a cup of tea and a nice piece of cake, and it’s hard to imagine tuning in to watch anyone else leading the midwives in future series.

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In the end, though, the decision about when to call time on Call the Midwife lies with the BBC and creator Heidi Thomas, who said that there could be much more to come when the spin-off film and World War II-set prequel series were both announced.

"I have never run out of stories for our midwives, and I never will," she promised. 

But while there is no shortage of viewers desperate for the show to continue for many more seasons, the BBC and Thomas owe it to Call the Midwife to stop sooner rather than later.

Call the Midwife seasons 1-14 are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

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