Call The Midwife fans, rejoice – production has just started on the much-loved BBC show’s 13th season.

After season 12 came to a dramatic and moving end in the spring, with Helen George’s Nurse Trixie finally marrying her partner Matthew (Olly Rix) in a ceremony attended by all her Nonnatus House colleagues, the next series will see the start of a new pupil midwife training scheme, and that means a handful of new characters will be arriving on the scene.

A first-look image shared by the BBC gave us a first look at two new midwives, Joyce Highland (played by Renee Bailey) and Rosalind Clifford (Natalie Quarry), while another teaser photo showed a smiling Trixie alongside the nuns.

According to series creator Heidi Thomas, the new season will be set in 1969, and “we will see change and challenge rock the world of our beloved nuns, nurses, medics and midwives”.

Here’s what we know so far.

What will happen in Call The Midwife season 13?

According to the BBC, season 13 “continues to explore complex medical and personal situations on the midwifery and district nursing rounds”, including issues surrounding cerebral palsy, congenital hip dysplasia, tetanus, porphyria and TB.

It will spotlight stories from the Sylheti and Nigerian communities and from around the docklands of Poplar, where poor housing continues to be an issue for residents, “presenting complex social and health challenges to the Nonnatus team”.

Thomas also hinted that the new episodes will be “full of beautiful moments that celebrate the young, the old, and the precious ties that bind them” (in other words, it sounds like it will be as tear-jerking as usual).

The two new characters, Joyce and Rosalind, will make an appearance in the first episode when they move into Nonnatus House at the start of their training.

Joyce hails from Trinidad, and is described as “hardworking, fiercely bright and deeply kind”, with “a traumatic past that she cannot conceal forever”, while Rosalind is “young, warm, passionate and funny. She may seem naive at times, but has an inner steeliness that will lead her to make some life-changing decisions.”

Who is in the cast of Call The Midwife season 13?

Renee Bailey, who will play Joyce, has previously appeared on the BBC and Netflix’s series Rebel Cheer Squad, and she also starred in Mood, last year’s gripping musical drama from BBC Three. Natalie Quarry, who takes the role of Rosalind, is a relative newcomer to the industry, who has previously had a role in long-running BBC show Doctors.

As for our returning favourites? As well as Helen George as Trixie, you can expect to see Judy Parfitt as Sister Monica Joan, Jenny Agutter as Sister Julienne, Laura Main as Shelagh Turner, Stephen McGann as her husband Dr Turner, Cliff Parisi as Fred, Lindda Bassett as Nurse Crane and Megan Cusack as Nancy Corrigan.

Plus, Annabelle Apision, George Glen, Zephryn Taitte, Olly Rix, Rebecca Gethings, Daniel Laurie, Max Macmillan, Alice Brown, Francesca Fullilove, April Rae Hoang and Edward Shaw will be back on our screens too. 

When will season 13 be on TV?

The show’s annual Christmas special is set to air on 25 December this year, then eight new episodes are set to follow in early 2024.

How many series of Call The Midwife are planned?

Worry not – there’s plenty more Call The Midwife to come. Back in February, the BBC confirmed that it had renewed the show for seasons 14 and 15 too, meaning that it will run until at least 2026.

“We are a family behind the scenes, on the screen, and in front of the telly, and I’m thrilled that we’re all heading into the 1970s together,” Thomas said at the time. 

Images: BBC