Call the Midwife to halt filming of series 13 as show offers fans update

Stephen McGann and Laura Main on set of Call the Midwife (Image: Call the Midwife/Instagram) Call the Midwife has announced a break in filming for series 13 as the cast and crew enjoy the summer away from work. Taking to Instagram on Saturday (July 29), the official Call the Midwife Instagram page shared two behind-the-scenes shots from the new season of the BBC One show that will air next year. In one photo, Nurse Nancy Corrigan actress Megan Cusack switched roles with the show’s sound man as she held a microphone up in the air while standing next to a hospital bed. Stephen McGann who plays Dr. Patrick Turner and his on-screen wife Shelagh played by Laura Main, smiled at the camera for a sweet selfie from inside the set of their family home in a second photo. In a long statement penned beside the two snaps, the team from the BBC period drama confirmed that the cast and crew will be taking a must-needed summer break due to the “long filming days” in recognition of their hard work. Call the Midwife updates fans on series 13 (Image: Call the Midwife/Instagram ) In a statement, Call the Midwife bosses wrote: “This week has been the last week of filming before we take our regular summer break on the production of Series 13 – and there has been a definite end-of-term feel to proceedings… “Down in the clinic, our brilliant Meghan Cusack (Nancy) felt inspired to swap roles with trusty sound man Tom so she could try her hand at operating the boom microphone (I’m not sure she’s quite got the hang of it…). “Meanwhile, over at the Turner house, Patrick and Shelagh (Stephen McGann and Laura Main) sent us a summery kitchen selfie before they head off on their holidays.” Two new midwives are heading for Nonnatus House (Image: : BBC / Neal Street Productions / Olly Courtney) They went on to explain: “Filming days are long, and the hours are variable – sometimes the crew will need to shoot from early daytime into the very late evening to catch essential night scenes. “Weeks of this, away from family, can take its toll – and so a good break in high summer allows the crew enough time to see their folks and get away for a holiday. The benefits to morale – and to the subsequent work – are enormous. x”When we return, we have the second half of Series 13 to shot, which will take us all the way through to November. And then we begin the countdown to Christmas!! The spirit on set is wonderful, and the stories we are filming are powerful and moving. We look forward to showing you….” They signed the post of by writing: “Call the Midwife returns with a new Christmas Special and Series 13 in 2024 xx.” The new Call the Midwife series is set to welcome two new additions to the cast in the form of Renee Bailey and Natalie Quarry, who will play trainee midwives, Joyce Highland and Rosalind Clifford. The newcomers will be joining Nonnatus House as part of its pupil midwife training scheme. The exciting new season will be set in 1969 and will consist of eight hour-long episodes to air in 2024 following this year’s Christmas special. This series will also see stories from within the Sylheti and Nigerian communities and from around the docks. Poor housing continues to blight areas of Poplar presenting complex social and health challenges to the Nonnatus team. It will also explore issues surrounding Cerebral Palsy, Congenital Hip Dysplasia, Tetanus, Porphyria, and TB.