Call the Midwife creator Heidi Thomas has discussed when the beloved BBC series may come to an end.
"I think in principle, it could go into the 1970s," Thomas told RadioTimes in a recent interview.
In its 12th season, which is currently filming, the period drama is moving into the late 1960s, with the potential to expand into the next decade with an already confirmed season 13.
Related: Call the Midwife gets season 12 filming update with new behind-the-scenes photo
Thomas explained the order of nuns on whom the Nonnatus nuns are based was in London's East End until 1976, meaning there are at least a few years' worth of storylines left before wrapping up.
"There are so many stories to tell, medically, socially, even emotionally, and I think we could keep on going," the show's creator and executive producer said.
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"The proviso I would give is that at the moment we're only commissioned for series 12, which we're halfway through filming, and series 13, which we will make next year."
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Earlier this month, Thomas confirmed that the upcoming season of Call the Midwife will focus on reproductive rights at a crucial time in the UK's history.
Season 12 will be set in 1968, a year after abortion was decriminalised under the Abortion Act. Fans of the show are likely to see legal abortion and contraception storylines in the next chapter, particularly with the pill being made available to unmarried women as well as married ones from 1967.
"All of these things were changing women's experience and shifting the lens through which women, and that's our regular characters as well as our guest characters, look at the world," she explained.
While season 12 is expected to debut in 2023, viewers will be back to Poplar for a Christmas special airing later this year.
Call the Midwife airs on BBC One.
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Stefania is a freelance writer specialising in TV and movies. After graduating from City University, London, she covered LGBTQ+ news and pursued a career in entertainment journalism, with her work appearing in outlets including Little White Lies, The Skinny, Radio Times and Digital Spy.
Her beats are horror films and period dramas, especially if fronted by queer women. She can argue why Scream is the best slasher in four languages (and a half).
