Everything We Know About the Call the Midwife Christmas Special 2025
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The return of the beloved Nonnatus House crew for their annual Christmas special is always a highlight of the festive calendar, and the 2025 installment promises to be particularly ambitious. This year, fans of Call the Midwife are in for a significant treat: not one, but two Christmas specials. Showcasing the remarkable lengths the nuns and medical professionals are willing to go to help those in need, the 2025 episodes will feature two dramatically different backdrops. Viewers will split their time between the familiar cobblestone streets of Poplar and a complex, all-new adventure in Hong Kong. This festive offering, which is set in 1970, promises to be a "melting pot of communities", incorporating not only traditional Christmas cheer but also a celebration of the Jewish feast of lights, Hanukkah, and the unique Chinese dimension introduced by the setting in Hong Kong.
The Unprecedented Two-Part Festive Event
Breaking from the traditional single 90-minute format used in past years, the 2025 Call the Midwife Christmas special will consist of two 60-minute episodes. This double dose of seasonal drama is scheduled to air on Christmas Day, December 25, and Boxing Day, December 26, 2025, on PBS in the United States. While the BBC has yet to announce the exact dates for UK viewers, the specials traditionally air on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, and 2025 is expected to follow this pattern.
The structure of the special is clearly defined by its geography: senior members of Nonnatus House embark on a mercy mission to Hong Kong, while the younger midwives remain in London to manage affairs back home. According to show creator Heidi Thomas, filming the Hong Kong portion was intense, even encountering a typhoon, which saw the cast and crew wading through water up to their knees, filming scenes in wellies. Laura Main, who plays Shelagh Turner, emphasized the richness of the story, noting its focus on people coming together in the depths of winter to create "something bright out of the darkness".
Nonnatus House Goes Global: The Hong Kong Mercy Mission
The central, dramatic storyline driving the two specials is set in Hong Kong. The trouble begins when Fred and Violet Buckle travel to Hong Kong to visit Violet’s son, Derek. Upon arrival, they find tragedy: a devastating building collapse has struck the Mother House. The ground underneath the mission has sunk away, destroying the whole place, resulting in deaths and leaving orphans and mothers displaced and without shelter.
In response to this immense need, several senior Nonnatus House members—including Doctor Turner, Shelagh Turner, Sister Julienne, Sister Veronica, and Nurse Crane—are dispatched to Hong Kong on a mercy mission. Once there, the team finds that nuns and orphans are among the injured.
Disturbance and Displacement
The chaos in Hong Kong proves complex and disturbing, going beyond simple medical assistance. Not only must the team find medical supplies and care for abandoned babies, but they also face an outbreak of tuberculosis and terrifying triads. Adding a highly personal layer to the mission, Doctor Turner and Shelagh attempt to track down May’s birth mother, Esther, in the Walled City. Their search unexpectedly unearths an underground crime network, forcing them to confront an impossible decision.
Jenny Agutter, who plays Sister Julienne, described the atmosphere as "disturbing" due to the displacement and destruction. However, she also highlighted the excitement that comes from being able to make a tangible difference in a place where people desperately need help. This energy—born from working in urgent circumstances—is something Sister Julienne will be "hankering for" even after she returns to the UK. The theme of displacement is central, as everything is "about people being displaced in some way and the changes bringing something new and fresh".
Drama Back Home in Poplar
While the senior staff are facing the extreme challenges and chaos of tragedy in Hong Kong, the younger midwives and nuns are left to manage Nonnatus House and the community in snowy Poplar. The story back in London remains a traditional Call the Midwife Christmas narrative.
Trixie and Geoffrey, for instance, find an elderly man named Mr. Fischer lying in the snow. Upon escorting him home, they discover he has a terminal blood disorder. As Mr. Fischer's health declines, Sister Monica Joan visits him, recalling that she delivered his sibling in the very same flat. Her presence offers comfort to him in his final hours. The Poplar team also finds time for festive cheer, as Rosalind and Joyce host a Christmas gathering for friends and colleagues, promising some unexpected sights—specifically Timothy, Geoffrey, and Harry appearing as viewers have never seen them before.
Nostalgia and New Beginnings
The current timeline of the series is set in 1970, and the specials will incorporate nostalgia for Christmases past. This special also picks up shortly after the end of series 14, which saw several key changes. Nancy, having married Roger and welcomed a daughter, has left Poplar to live with her new family. This departure raises the question of whether a new character will arrive at Nonnatus House to replace her. Meanwhile, Cyril Robinson and Rosalind Clifford, whose romance blossomed in the previous series, are expected to enjoy their first Christmas together, hopefully without major interruption.
Returning Favorites and New Dynamics
The 2025 Christmas specials will feature the full main cast, ensuring familiar faces are involved in both the Poplar and Hong Kong storylines. Key cast members confirmed to star include Jenny Agutter (Sister Julienne), Laura Main (Shelagh Turner), Helen George (Trixie Franklin), Stephen McGann (Dr. Patrick Turner), and Judy Parfitt (Sister Monica Joan).
Other returning favorites expected to appear include Megan Cusack, Linda Bassett (Nurse Phyllis Crane), Cliff Parisi (Fred Buckle), Annabelle Apsion (Violet Buckle), Georgie Glen (Miss Higgins), and Daniel Laurie (Reggie Jackson). Renee Bailey (Joyce Highland) and Natalie Quarry (Rosalind Clifford) return as the newer midwives.
Fans will also see the return of Sister Veronica, played by Rebecca Gethings, and Sister Hilda, played by Fenella Woolgar. Furthermore, The Rig star Molly Vevers, who joined the cast as Sister Catherine—a studious Scottish postulant training to be a midwife—is back for the new episodes. Christopher Harper, who plays Trixie’s brother Geoffrey, will return to bring some lighthearted moments to the show, while Eisa Latif is back as Miss Higgins’ grandson, Harry.
The presence of the entire Turner family—including Stephen McGann and Laura Main, along with Max Macmillan (Timothy), Alice Brown (Angela), April Rae Hoang (May Tang), and Edward Shaw (Teddy)—indicates the significant role they will play in the Hong Kong mercy mission and the search for May’s birth mother. Stephan McGann hinted that things are "going to continue in a different vein", suggesting that the events of the special will pave the way for new dynamics in the upcoming Season 15.
🔖 Key Takeaways
The Call the Midwife Christmas Special 2025 is set to be one of the most geographically diverse and dramatically intense festive offerings in the series' history:
🗝️ Double Episodes: For the second consecutive year, the special will consist of two 60-minute episodes airing on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
🗝️ Dual Setting and Tragedy: The storyline is split between Poplar and Hong Kong. The senior staff undertake a mercy mission to Hong Kong following a disturbing building collapse that resulted in deaths and displacement of nuns and orphans.
🗝️ Complex Challenges Abroad: In Hong Kong, the team contends with an outbreak of tuberculosis, terrifying triads, the impact of a typhoon during filming, and the emotionally charged search for May’s birth mother in the Walled City.
🗝️ Poplar Community Focus: Back home, the younger midwives manage Christmas drama, including finding and caring for Mr. Fischer, an elderly man with a terminal illness, bringing comfort and reflection through Sister Monica Joan’s memories.
🗝️ Focus on Community and Displacement: The special emphasizes the theme of community, incorporating multiple celebrations (Christmas, Hanukkah) and exploring what it means to be displaced in 1970.
🗝️ Full Cast Return: The core cast, including Jenny Agutter, Helen George, Laura Main, and Stephen McGann, are all returning for the two festive episodes.
🌐 External sources
Keywords: Call the Midwife Christmas Special
Call the Midwife Christmas Special
