Celebrate a New Season of “Call the Midwife” with WNET Up Next

The acclaimed British series “Call the Midwife” comes back to PBS for its eleventh season on the evening of Sunday March 20th. To celebrate its return, WNET UP NEXT welcomes actor and author Stephen McGann, who portrays Dr. Patrick Turner. McGann shares with host Tom Stewart fascinating insights about the show, its history and production.

Adapted by series creator Heidi Thomas from the bestselling “Call the Midwife” books by Jennifer Worth, the program recounts the story of Nonnatus House, a fictional Anglican nunnery located in Poplar, a struggling area of London’s East End. The books were based on Worth’s own experiences as a nurse and midwife in the 1950’s. From the original story, Ms. Thomas has expanded the narrative and taken it through ten years of history, demonstrating profound changes in the program’s characters, its setting and the world at large.

McGann, who in real life is the husband of Heidi Thomas, has recently written a book on the show called “Call the Midwife – A Labour of Love” which offers an up-close and personal look at the show as told by cast members and production staff both past and present. There is a chapter for each of the ten years of the program (1957-1966) illustrating the themes, locations and technical challenges from each season.

Following season eleven, the program will continue to film at least two additional seasons taking the world of Call the Midwife into the turbulence of the late 1960’s.

For more information, go to the official Call the Midwife site.

Recorded: February 17, 2022

Published: March 11, 2022

Audio Engineer – Josh Broome

Host/Producer – Tom Stewart

Executive Producer and Editor – Daena McBride

Special thanks: Jordan Lawrence, DKC

WNET UP NEXT is a presentation of the Design, On Air Promotion, Fundraising and Traffic Department of The WNET Group.

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