The team behind Call the Midwife have high hopes that the new series will raise issues important enough to save some viewers' lives.
The eighth series of the BBC One medical drama arrives this weekend, and is set against Poplar celebrating the Queen giving birth to Prince Edward in 1964.
There will, of course, be plenty of patients coming into Nonnatus House throughout the series too, with one of the running themes being Nurse Trixie Franklin (Helen George) "throwing herself into her work" as a medical revolution takes place.
"We see the start of smear tests and she’s very much instrumental in pushing that into the Poplar community," Helen told Digital Spy and other media. "So you see her fronting campaigns for women’s rights."
The actress suggested that this storyline offers Call the Midwife a unique opportunity to raise awareness of an issue that is still just as relevant for viewers today as it was back in 1964.
"I saw something on Facebook that after Jade Goody’s death there was a surge in smear tests and it’s been quite a few years now since her death now so it’s great that this [storyline] may well have another surge," she predicted.
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"It definitely did with me because I hadn’t had one for ages and I suddenly thought, ‘I really do need to have my smear test'. It pushed me.”
Series creator Heidi Thomas added: "[It's] something which only Call the Midwife could use as a selling point, which is the first cervical smear tests ever done in London."
Over the course of the series, Call the Midwife will also show other groundbreaking stories, including one that creator Thomas says will be a first for UK TV.
"We meet a woman who, on the eve of her marriage, discovers she’s a hermaphrodite," the writer told us. "Much later in the series, you will see – I think – it’s certainly the first prostate exam I’ve ever seen on popular television. But we go there!”
On top of the groundbreaking storylines, the cast is getting a boost as legendary comedian and actress Miriam Margolyes joins the cast of Call the Midwife as the "forthright and indefatigable" Sister Mildred.
Call the Midwife returns to BBC One on Sunday, January 13 at 8pm.
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Justin is a freelance entertainment journalist and writer. He first joined Digital Spy as a freelance entertainment reporter in 2010 and also worked as a sub-editor for the brand, serving as Night News Editor from 2016 to 2024. Over more than a decade, Justin has covered numerous major entertainment events from the US and has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo. He's written for titles across the Hearst network, plus the likes of CBR and Us Weekly.
