Call the Midwife prequel Sisters in Arms has shared an exciting update ahead of this festive season, when it's set to air on the BBC. The prequel takes place during World War II and sees some fan-favourite characters return as their younger selves in a brand-new story.
Set in Poplar, the three-part Christmas special has now started filming.
Narrated by Jenny Agutter as the older Sister Julienne, Sisters in Arms begins in September 1939, right on the brink of World War II. Three characters from the main show take centre stage here – Sister Monica Joan, Sister Julienne, and Sister Evangelina, played by Ted Lasso star Helen Schlesinger, Helena Wilson and Doctor Who's Amy Booth-Steel, respectively.
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"Sister Monica Joan is in her prime, Sister Julienne and Sister Evangelina are young and zealous, and Nonnatus House is the beating heart of Poplar," the synopsis reads.
The three nuns work alongside Sister Alice (Julie Hesmondhalgh) and local GP Dr Kit Malhotra (Bally Gill) to help mothers, babies and the poor.
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"But there is no gas and air, no penicillin, no cure for TB, and no welfare state. Then war is declared – and life gets even harder," the synopsis teases.
"The three young secular midwives who complete the team, Sybil, Olive and Marianne, receive a baptism of fire as the blackout and the Blitz take hold.
"While bombs rain from the sky, women give birth underground, families are shattered, children run wild, and whole streets are reduced to rubble. But courage, compassion and resilience triumph as the community unites in its efforts to survive."
Related: Why everyone quit Call the Midwife, including Judy Parfitt's Sister Monica Joan
Creator and writer Heidi Thomas said that the prequel series has been "a joy to write". She likened the experience to "returning to the family home and finding all the people I have ever loved made young again and filled with new energy".
"I can't wait to start filming and look forward to sharing our new show with Call the Midwife's fantastic fans," she said.
Thomas said the show is about "love and birth, separation and courage, lipstick and nylons (or the lack thereof)", but it's also a medical drama "set in a devastating landscape where even the nurses cannot know if they will live till morning".
Call the Midwife: Sisters in Arms doesn't have a premiere date yet.
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Reporter, Digital Spy
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).
