BBC Call the Midwife's Helen George teases new film with 'exciting' update

Call the Midwife star Helen George teased the drama's upcoming film with an "exciting" update on Monday (August 4). The 41-year-old actor, who has played Trixie Franklin since season one, appeared on The One Show tonight, where she opened up about her recent appearance on Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters.

Helen also discussed the upcoming Call the Midwife film, which was announced back in May, alongside a prequel TV series.

"Call the Midwife, there is a new series, isn't there? And apparently a film?" host Alex Jones asked.

Helen replied: "Yeah, we're filming series 15 at the moment. Woah, so many, we've been very lucky."

She added: "And then we're doing a film next year, very exciting."

The film will be set in a currently undisclosed overseas location in 1972, and will feature "iconic characters from the existing TV show".

"As the classic Call the Midwife series moves further into the 1970s, it also seems the perfect time for our much-loved regulars to take a short break from Poplar and test themselves in an unfamiliar landscape," showrunner Heidi Thomas previously explained.

"The rise in hospital births, and changes in the NHS have clipped their wings, and this is their chance to take flight and work out what really matters.

"Whilst the location of the film remains top-secret, I can say it is going to look absolutely fantastic on the big screen!"

Meanwhile, the prequel series will "delve into the deeper past", exploring life in Poplar during the Blitz.

The new projects will be written, created and produced by Heidi Thomas and executive producers Dame Pippa Harris and Ann Tricklebank, who will also oversee the production of season 16.

"The opening of new doors at Nonnatus House feels profoundly emotional, and yet just right. I have never run out of stories for our midwives, and I never will," Heidi previously said in a statement.

Eva Yates, director of BBC Film, added: "Call the Midwife has always brilliantly explored the issues and experiences of women across history, and it is with great excitement that we are joining Pippa and Heidi in expanding the Midwife universe to bring these wonderful characters onto the big screen."

Call the Midwife is available to stream on BBC iPlayer. The One Show airs weeknights on BBC One at 7pm