The critically-acclaimed British drama CALL THE MIDWIFE returns to PBS for a fifth season on April 3, 2016 at 8 p.m. Season 5 opens in the year 1961, and Poplar is beginning to feel the winds of social change with the improvements in housing, sanitation and healthcare. But for the midwives and nuns of Nonnatus House, it’s business as usual, as they continue to care for the sick and bring new life into the world. The personal and professional lives of the nurses remain entwined, as events in their work impact on their personal choices.
Quotes About The Series
“CALL THE MIDWIFE is wildly popular in the UK and continues to delight PBS viewers with exhilarating storylines and its charming and enthralling characters.” said Beth Hoppe, Chief Programming Executive and General Manager, General Audience Programming, PBS. “We are looking forward to a remarkable Season 5 of CALL THE MIDWIFE and continuing our relationship with our BBC and Neal Street partners.”
“We are thrilled to be returning to PBS with our fifth season of CALL THE MIDWIFE, which I firmly believe is our strongest yet,” said Pippa Harris, executive producer for Neal Street Productions.
Throughout the season, the midwives encounter complex and challenging medical cases, ranging from an outbreak of typhoid to the increase in lung cancer, a teenage pregnancy and a mother who vanishes. But all are rocked when two babies with severe deformities are born under their care, several months apart from one another. As they struggle to understand why, they must find ways to deal with the resulting medical and emotional fallout.
The series stars Jenny Agutter (“The Railway Children,” SPOOKS) as Sister Julienne, Linda Bassett (“East Is East,” LARK RISE TO CANDLEFORD) as Nurse Phyllis Crane, Pam Ferris (“Little Dorrit,” “Darling Buds of May”) as Sister Evangelina, Judy Parfitt (LITTLE DORRIT, "Girl With a Pearl Earring"), who was nominated for a 2013 Satellite Award for her work as Sister Monica Joan, Helen George (HOLLYOAKS, DOCTORS) as Trixie Franklin, Bryony Hannah ("Cemetery Junction") as Sister Mary Cynthia, Laura Main (MONARCH OF THE GLEN) as Shelagh Turner, Emerald Fennell ("The Danish Girl," "Pan") as Patsy Mount, Charlotte Ritchie (LIFE OF RILEY, FRESH MEAT) as Nurse Barbara Gilbert, Victoria Yeates (HOLBY CITY) as Sister Winifred, Ben Caplan (THE LOST HONOUR OF CHRISTOPHER JEFFERIES, BAND OF BROTHERS) as Sergeant Peter Noakes, Stephen McGann (EMMERDALE) as Dr. Patrick Turner, Cliff Parisi (EASTENDERS) as Fred, Jack Ashton (ENDEAVOUR, “Of Mary”) as Tom Hereward, Annabelle Apsion (SHAMELESS) as Violet Buckle, Kate Lamb as Nurse Delia Busby, and Vanessa Redgrave provides the voice of the mature Jennifer Worth.
EPISODE GUIDE:
Episode 1 airs Sunday, April 3 at 8 p.m. - Witness a couple’s disagreement over the future of their child, born without arms and legs. Patsy, elated to find Delia fully recovered from her accident, is dismayed to learn that Delia’s mother wants her to move back home to Wales.
Episode 2 airs Sunday, April 10 at 8 p.m. - Barbara is caught between a stressed expectant mother and her impecunious husband. Sister Evangeline’s vocal objection to the sale of baby formula distresses a new mother who’s unable to breastfeed.
Episode 3 airs Sunday, April 17 at 8 p.m. - Learn why the pressure is on at Nonnatus House to find the source of a dangerous case of typhoid. Witness the reactions to an unwed schoolteacher’s pregnancy.
Episode 4 airs Sunday, April 24 at 8 p.m. - See how Sister Julienne’s faith is tested by a limbless child and how a teenage pregnancy poses a problem for a young man who must choose between pursuing his studies or staying in the tenements to provide for his fiancée and their child.
Episode 5 airs Sunday, May 1 at 8 p.m. - Learn why professionals like the Turners are reassessing their lifestyles as they fight for respiratory health for patients. See the unforeseen consequences of Fred’s oversight of Violet’s shop and how a new mother’s past wreaks havoc on her family.
Episode 6 airs Sunday, May 8 at 8 p.m. - See the consequences of a woman’s decision not to report a rape and a mother’s decision to conceal her daughter’s pregnancy. Shelagh and Timothy secretly organize a long-overdue family camping holiday.
Episode 7 airs Sunday, May 15 at 8 p.m. - Witness Dr. Turner’s excitement about the contraceptive pill, Patsy’s struggles to help a transient woman determined to avoid the maternity home, Nurse Crane’s help in a post-natal emergency and the return of Sister Evangelina.
Episode 8 airs Sunday, May 22 at 8 p.m. - Join the residents of Poplar as Dr. Turner jumps into action to prevent further infant deformities, Nonnatus House tries to cope with a tragedy and there’s joy all around at a wedding reception.
CALL THE MIDWIFE is created and written by Heidi Thomas; Executive Producers are Pippa Harris and Heidi Thomas. The series is a Neal Street Production for BBC/PBS and is distributed by BBC Worldwide North America.
Episodes from Season 5 will be available for online viewing for a limited time after broadcast. CALL THE MIDWIFE is on Facebook.
