Call the Midwife aired its dramatic season 11 finale on Sunday and left viewers reeling after Dr Turner and Sister Julienne found themselves caught up in a train crash. Fortunately, viewers were able to breathe a sigh of relief after it was revealed that both had survived.
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However, now there's just one question on fans' lips - when should we expect the hit show to return for season 12? Keep reading for everything we know…
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The good news is that fans won't have to wait too long to catch up with residents of Poplar. The long-running drama, which revolves around a group of midwives working and living in East London, will be back for another heartwarming Christmas Day special later this year.
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The show's official Instagram account announced the news this week, posting: "Thank you all for watching Call the Midwife Series 11! We'll be back!! Call the Midwife will return with a new Christmas Special and Series 12 in 2023."
Fans were overjoyed and rushed to the comment section to express their excitement. One wrote: "Can't wait! Roll on December," while another said: "Oh phew! This wasn't too bad! Only nine more months until the Christmas Special!"
Another heartwarming festive special will air this year
What's more, it was previously announced back in April 2021 that the much-loved BBC drama had been renewed for not one but two additional series, meaning that it will be on air until at least 2024. Both seasons 12 and 13 will also come with a Christmas special.
As for whether series 13 will be the show's last, creator Heidi Thomas has revealed that Call the Midwife is likely to finish when the story reaches the mid-seventies. As season 11 took place in 1967, it seems that the beloved period drama isn't going anywhere anytime soon!
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Explaining her reasons for why this is, Heidi told Radio Times back in 2019: "I do know that the original nuns on whom the original books were based left Poplar in 1976, because the social and the medical climate had changed. They relocated to Birmingham and focused more on spiritual work. So I don't know how far into the 1970s we could go."
She added: "Because every series has a new year attached to it, I think we could go on for a few years to come. But who knows? We aren't bored yet!"
