Growing up, Philippa Lowthorpe never expected to work in television: “I didn’t think [it] was possible because I grew up in a small village outside Lincoln… all my relations and people I knew were farmers, so I had no clue that somebody like me could ever work in television.”
“Next time I produce a play – no author,” yells Max Bialystock, the producer of Springtime for Hitler in Mel Brooks’s The Producers. To be fair, the unhinged writer, a former Nazi, does shoot Max.
And did you hear the one about the real-life writer whose producers blocked him from attending the Baftas? He later “liberated” the award from their trophy cabinet.
Then there are the apocryphal tales of 1970s writer-producer duos whose relationships were more Burton and Taylor than Liz and Dick themselves.
Renee Bailey (Mood) and Natalie Quarry (Doctors) will play the new pupils, Joyce Highland and Rosalind Clifford. Both young characters are excited to embark on the new chapter in their careers together, even sharing a room in Nonnatus House.
Joyce hails from Trinidad and has set her sights on becoming Matron of a British hospital. She's smart, hardworking and kind-hearted, despite a traumatic past that the BBC hints will eventually come to light.
As Call the Midwife still has the nation crying happy tears, the BBC has commissioned two further series.
It means that the heart-warming period drama, which is nearing the end of its 12th series, will air on the BBC until 2026.
Celebrating the announcement, Heidi Thomas, creator and writer of the series, said: “I’m overjoyed by the news that the doors of Nonnatus House will be open for a few more years! Call the Midwife is the pride and joy of all who work on it, but it’s our fantastic, loyal audience that matters most.
BBC Two celebrates one of Britain’s most iconic artists, Quentin Blake, in a one-off special that sees the illustrator tell his life story by painting a 30-foot-long canvas.
I can’t believe it’s been 10 years,” said Helen George, who plays Nurse Trixie Franklin in Call the Midwife. “It’s been a fantastic ride, from not knowing if it was going to be more than six episodes to here – 10 years later.”
Rare is the TV drama that makes it to its tenth series. But, since the programme detailing the ever-eventful happenings at the nursing convent of Nonnatus House first appeared on 15 January 2012, it has become a Sunday-evening staple.
With series ten premiering on Sunday 18 April and series 11 soon to start filming, Call The Midwife will now be on air until 2024.
Series 12 and 13 will consist of eight 60 minute episodes and two Christmas specials.
Creator, Writer and Executive Producer, Heidi Thomas, said: “It’s an incredible privilege to be able to look back on a decade of Call The Midwife, and yet know that our journey is still very far from over.
The RTS celebrates 10 years of Call the Midwife with series writer Heidi Thomas and cast members Helen George, Leonie Elliott and Jenny Agutter.
As the iconic show heads into 1966 for the upcoming 10th series, the panel discuss what lies ahead for the next series and look back at some of the memorable storylines and the big historical events that impacted the lives of the midwives and nuns at Nonnatus House over the past nine series.
This year’s Call the Midwife Christmas special re-joins the midwives at Nonnatus House in December 1965, where they’re preparing for some joyfully traditional celebrations.
