Sister Alice (Julie Hesmondhalgh), Sister Julienne (Helena Wilson) (Image: Neal Street/BBC)
Filming has officially wrapped on BBC prequel ‘Call the Midwife: Sisters in Arms‘, with the broadcaster releasing new on-set pictures of the cast as the three-part special prepares to head to BBC One and BBC iPlayer this Christmas.
The prequel turns the clock back to Poplar in 1939, with Nonnatus House facing the outbreak of the Second World War. Julie Hesmondhalgh is pictured as Sister Alice alongside Helena Wilson as a younger Sister Julienne, complete with nurses’ uniforms, sandbags and an air raid shelter in the background.
A second image brings together the three young secular midwives at the heart of the story, with Ellie McKay as Olive Dobbs, Liv Andrusier as Marianne Siegler, and Lizzie Back as Sybil Maxted.
‘Call the Midwife: Sisters in Arms’ begins in September 1939, when Sister Monica Joan is in her prime and Sister Julienne and Sister Evangelina are still young and zealous. Along with Sister Alice and local GP Dr Kit, the nuns are caring for mothers, babies and those in need at a time before penicillin, gas and air, or the welfare state.
Things then get considerably more difficult when war is declared. Sybil, Olive and Marianne find themselves thrown into the job as the blackout and Blitz take hold, with women giving birth underground, families separated, children evacuated and streets devastated by bombing. In other words, even by Nonnatus House standards, it is going to be a fairly intense Christmas.
Creator and showrunner Heidi Thomas said: “Call the Midwife has a long and noble history of filming Christmas specials during heatwaves, and this year we welcomed the snow-machine back to the Nonnatus House set like an old friend. But I was surprised how many new emotions Call the Midwife: Sisters in Arms sparked. In particular, the evacuation of Poplar’s children, and the fear that they may not make it home for Christmas had us all in tears.”
Olive Dobbs (Ellie Mckay), Marianne Siegler (Liv Andrusier), Sybil Maxted (Lizzie Back) (Image: Neal Street/BBC)
The three-part prequel is made by All3Media’s Neal Street for the BBC. Heidi Thomas created, wrote and executive produces the drama, alongside executive producer Pippa Harris for Neal Street and Ann Tricklebank, who also serves as producer. Tricklebank directed the first two episodes, with John Maidens directing episode three.
Previous series of ‘Call the Midwife‘ are available now on BBC iPlayer, while ‘Call the Midwife: Sisters in Arms’ gives fans a chance to see some of Nonnatus House’s most familiar faces decades before the original series.
‘Call the Midwife: Sisters in Arms‘ premieres Christmas 2026 on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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