A special holiday episode of the critically acclaimed British drama CALL THE MIDWIFE will premiere on Thursday, December 25, 2014. "Call The Midwife Holiday Special" includes a guest appearance from show narrator Vanessa Redgrave. The actress will appear as the mature Jennifer Worth on screen for the first time. The special will lead the way to the fourth season of the hit drama, which returns to PBS in March 2015.
Pippa Harris, executive producer for Neal Street Productions, said: “We’re all delighted to be welcoming Vanessa Redgrave on screen, having hugely enjoyed her narration of the series to date.”
Which Midwife Are You?
The midwives of the Nonnatus House have distinct personalities and different manners of handling sticky situations. See what character you most closely resemble by answering a few questions. Are you more like Jenny, Chummy, Trixie, or Cynthia? Take the quiz to find out!
On DVD and Blu-ray
CALL THE MIDWIFE (Season 4) will be available in 2015 on DVD and Blu-ray. Seasons 1, 2 and 3 are now available on DVD and Blu-ray on shopPBS.org. Additional items, including Jennifer Worth’s memoirs, published by Penguin Books, and "The Life and Times of Call the Midwife," published by Harper Collins, are also available.
The holiday episode begins with a mature Jennifer at home in the early 21st century, opening her Christmas cards from both Cynthia and the Order of St. Raymond Nonnatus. She reflects on the Christmases of her youth, and how much she missed the Nonnatus community during the first Christmas after her departure. Back at the Nonnatus House in 1959, the holidays have brought big changes for the midwives and the nuns. Cynthia is invited to join the order as a postulant, and after malpractice is uncovered at the York Lodge, Chummy is offered the permanent position of matron. With the New Year and a new decade approaching, what will the women choose and what will 1960 bring?
Season 3 of CALL THE MIDWIFE drew an average household audience rating of 2.5, translating into 3.6 million viewers, and the series saw an overall growth of 20 percent after its season one debut. The first series was the biggest new drama on BBC One in more than a decade, and the second season averaged a consolidated viewership of more than 10 million in the U.K. CALL THE MIDWIFE has won accolades across the industry, including 2013 BAFTA Craft awards for director Philippa Lowthorpe and for Christine Walmesley-Cotham for Make Up and Hair Design. Additionally, Miranda Hart received Best Actress at the National Television Awards this year. Audiences and critics in the U.S. were equally effusive, with Season 3 breaking the top ten spot in ratings on PBS and scoring 66 percent above the 2013-2014 season-to-date primetime average.
Based on the best-selling memoirs of Jennifer Worth, CALL THE MIDWIFE is a moving and intimate story of midwifery in London’s East End in the 1950s. Audiences can expect a mixture of laughter and tears in Season 4, along with new faces and captivating, emotional stories celebrating the people of Poplar and the much-loved residents of Nonnatus House. A new decade brings new and exciting challenges for the team at Nonnatus House. Will the nuns and midwives hold on to their traditional values in a rapidly changing world?
CALL THE MIDWIFE stars Jenny Agutter (“The Railway Children,” SPOOKS) as Sister Julienne, Pam Ferris (“Little Dorrit,” DARLING BUDS OF MAY) as Sister Evangelina, Miranda Hart (MIRANDA) as Chummy, Judy Parfitt (“Little Dorrit,” "Girl With a Pearl Earring"), who was nominated for a 2013 Satellite Award for her work as Sister Monica Joan, Helen George (HOLLYOAKS, DOCTORS) as Trixie Franklin, Bryony Hannah ("Cemetery Junction") as Cynthia Miller, Laura Main (“Monarch of the Glen”) as Shelagh and Cliff Parisi (EASTENDERS) as Fred. Joining the regular cast are Linda Bassett (“East Is East,” LARK RISE TO CANDLEFORD) as Nurse Phyllis Crane and Charlotte Ritchie (LIFE OF RILEY, FRESH MEAT) as Nurse Barbara Gilbert. Vanessa Redgrave provides the voice of the mature Jennifer Worth.
CALL THE MIDWIFE contains mature content that may not be suitable for all audiences. Viewer discretion is advised. Rated TV-14.
CALL THE MIDWIFE is created and written by Heidi Thomas; Executive producers are Pippa Harris and Heidi Thomas. The series is a Neal Street Production for BBC/PBS.
"Call The Midwife Holiday Special 2014" will be available for online viewing for 30 days after national broadcast. CALL THE MIDWIFE is on Facebook.
