Call the Midwife movie gets major update – including "likely" overseas location to TV far away from Poplar

When the Call the Midwife movie was announced in May – alongside the news that its creator Heidi Thomas was also working on a prequel series – the powers that be remained tight-lipped about what was in store.

But we were told that it would be "set overseas in 1972".

"As the classic Call the Midwife series moves further into the 1970s, it also seems the perfect time for our much-loved regulars to take a short break from Poplar and test themselves in an unfamiliar landscape," said Thomas at the time.

"The rise in hospital births, and changes in the NHS, have clipped their wings, and this is their chance to take flight and work out what really matters.

"Whilst the location of the film remains top-secret, I can say it is going to look absolutely fantastic on the big screen!"

And speaking to RadioTimes.com and other press following a screening of the upcoming 15th season, which will arrive in the New Year, Thomas shed some more light on what the movie could look like.

"We're narrowing down our locations as I speak, and Australia is likely, I can say that," she said.

"But there are a number of places in Australia where that could be, all of which will be very different. So we're not making any official announcements until we know exactly where, and there are a couple of other options on the table as well."

Thomas then joked that after filming in Hong Kong for this year's Christmas special, they had "all learned how to work in high temperatures and humidity".

"That was a new skill we all learned," she laughed.

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Helen George, who has played midwife-turned-manager Trixie Aylward from the very first episode, went on to say that it would be fascinating to "have the space and the time... to explore the characters in a completely different landscape".

Several of the Call the Midwife cast will star in the movie, although it's yet to be announced which ones.

"When we did the South African Christmas special, it was so cinematic because you get those lovely landscapes and the sunsets, which are so different from here. And the lighting is incredibly different, so you get that golden glow," continued George. "And I'm sure the same would be the case in Australia, it's so beautiful.

"So it's really exciting to give it a new lease of life and to change it somehow, while still having the roots in Poplar, of course, because they are the nuns of poplar, and this would be their missionary work, potentially, because this is what they would do; if they weren't doing community midwifery in the UK, they would go abroad and do their work elsewhere because it was their work for God.

"So it makes complete sense for them to branch out into the world."

During the press Q&A, executive producer Pippa Harris also confirmed that the prequel, which will be set during the Second World War, would make its debut at Christmas next year instead of a traditional Call the Midwife Christmas special.

More details on that are likely to arrive in the spring, according to Thomas – which George was equally as thrilled about.

"The prequel, I think, it's a fantastic idea," she said. "When we first heard about it, we were like, 'Yes, of course!' Going back and seeing the start of Nonnatus House... and the characters that we all love so much.

"And when we first started with our sets, we'd have the remnants of buildings that have been bombed in the Blitz, so that was a real undertone for the first few series, really, before things started changing in the East End. So it's fascinating to go even further, and I will definitely be watching. I'm really excited about that. I think its very clever."

The movie will then follow the spin-off series, with season 16 arriving after that.

"I think for all of us, it's really exciting that there's still a life in this after so many years," added George. "The fact that the British public still watch the show and want us around is amazing.

"And it's right to change the format in some description as well, because we all need a new lease of life. Expanding the Nonnatus world and the Call the Midwife world with is right, to give it growth, and for our characters."

Call the Midwife season 15 arrives on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in early 2026.

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