Call the Midwife might have run for over a decade, but Thomas\u2019s adaptation of midwife Jennifer Worth\u2019s memoirs remains as popular as ever, so much so that it has been crowned the greatest television show of the past 25 years by RadioTimes.com readers<\/a>, beating all sorts of genre juggernauts from the Doctor Who reboot to dramas like Succession and Netflix\u2019s Stranger Things.<\/p>\n The long-running drama\u2019s facade of cheerful nuns, nurses and new-born babies means it often gets dismissed as cosy end-of-the-week viewing. But the show, which began its story in 1957 and has since moved through the swinging \u201960s, also handles politics and subtly chronicles social change, putting women\u2019s stories centre stage as society slowly evolves around them.<\/p>\n And it\u2019s this shifting lens through which the female characters view the world which Thomas attributes to the show\u2019s longevity.<\/p>\n \u201cSeries 12<\/a>, which we\u2019re filming at the moment, is set in 1968,\u201d she explains. \u201cWomen\u2019s lives were incredibly different. Abortion had been legalised. Domestic violence was something that was being talked about more openly. The pill had come onto the scene. All of these things were changing women\u2019s experience and shifting the lens through which women, and that\u2019s our regular characters as well as our guest characters, look at the world.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, it would be impossible, really, to make a drama about women in the 1950s and \u201960s that feels repetitive or would seem to turn in on itself because women are looking outward; women are questioning the world; women are arguing with the law; women are arguing with their husbands; and that in itself is very vital and very volatile.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n While abortion will have been legalised (with certain restrictions) in England under the Abortion Act of 1967 by the time we return to the streets of Poplar for season 12, from season 2\u2019s graphic abortion scene in which an impoverished mother of eight turned to a backstreet provider, to season 8\u2019s season-long arc about an illegal abortion provider<\/a> maiming and killing the women of Poplar, Thomas has already deftly handled abortion, illegal abortion and the legalisation of abortion.<\/p>\n And it\u2019s these storylines that remain the most memorable \u2013 and pertinent \u2013\u00a0for Thomas even as we reach season 12. \u201cThe abortion storylines always grab me by the heart and by the throat. And I find it shocking that they\u2019ve become incredibly relevant. You know, particularly with recent events in America. So that will always be the standout strand for me, and it is a strand rather than an isolated episode.\u201d<\/p>\n Read more\u00a0Big RT Interviews<\/a>:<\/strong><\/p>\n As much as it is a show about women\u2019s experiences, Call the Midwife is also a history of medical treatment in the UK, with storylines tackling spina bifida, tuberculosis and female genital mutilation also having been lauded over the years. But it\u2019s the storyline concerning the thalidomide tragedy<\/a> which Thomas is particularly proud to have told \u2013 and one she\u2019s thrilled to be revisiting in season 12.<\/p>\n At the end of season 4, Stephen McGann\u2019s Dr Patrick Turner prescribed thalidomide to pregnant patient Rhoda Mullucks (Liz White) as she suffered from morning sickness, whose daughter Susan was then born in season 6 with birth defects as a result of Turner\u2019s prescription.<\/p>\n Now, the show is revisiting the Mullucks family, with Rhoda set to have another baby in season 12, which Thomas reveals \u201cputs them under a certain amount of pressure and gives them a lot to worry about\u201d. She adds: \u201cWe haven\u2019t actually been with that family for five years, so we\u2019re picking up the pieces for them and it makes for a very special Christmas special.\u201d<\/p>\n Another emotive storyline in the Christmas special will follow a single mother as she\u2019s discharged from prison and searches for a community in Poplar. \u201cAnd we also have a talent show, which has been enormous fun, honestly, both to write, rehearse and film. So there\u2019s a lot of joy in there at Christmas as well.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n While season 12 will continue to tackle the thalidomide scandal, it will also chronicle medical advancements of the time and feature a ventouse birth for the first time. \u201cAgain, we\u2019re looking at some very strong stories about the way society was changing at that time,\u201d Thomas says.<\/p>\n Not all change we see will be positive, however. Season 12 will also be heavily influenced by Enoch Powell\u2019s inflammatory anti-immigration speech, which saw him dismissed from the Shadow Cabinet.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the very first episode of the new series, which will probably come out in January if it follows the usual pattern, I realised the timing of that episode coincided exactly with Enoch Powell\u2019s Rivers of Blood speech which made a huge difference, and not a very positive difference to race relations in Great Britain.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a big turning point for our society and the way we spoke of and behaved towards people who had come here from other countries, so that was something we felt we had to tackle.\u201d<\/p>\n As for returning characters, Call the Midwife viewers can expect plenty of beloved old faces, as well as some new ones to shake things up. Fan-favourite character Trixie, whose presence has been sorely missed after actress Helen George left halfway through series 11 to facilitate George\u2019s pregnancy, will be back with gusto.<\/p>\n \u201cSomething rather wonderful happens to Trixie, Lucile has to contend with a reasonable amount of sadness, and what else can I say? We have a new nun coming to join the line-up, Sister Veronica,\u201d Thomas teases.<\/p>\n Viewers can rest assured then, that Call the Midwife has plenty more stories to tell and, with\u00a0a 13th season already confirmed for 2024, it looks like it will continue to be\u00a0one of the smartest and most subtly subversive shows out there for years to come.<\/p>\n Read more:<\/strong><\/p>\n Call The Midwife is available to stream on BBC iPlayer<\/a>. Check out more of our Drama<\/a> coverage or visit our TV Guide<\/a> to see what\u2019s on tonight.<\/strong><\/p>\n The latest issue of Radio Times magazine is on sale now \u2013 subscribe now<\/a> and get the next 12 issues for only \u00a31. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast<\/a> with Jane Garvey.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/body><\/html>\n By Molly Moss Published: Sunday, 31 July 2022 at 12:00 am It\u2019s mid-July and Britain\u2019s hottest day of the year (so far) when I speak to Heidi Thomas, the creator and writer of the BBC One hit Call the Midwife, with temperatures hitting over 40 degrees Celsius, as she tells me she\u2019s just broken off […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":19542,"template":"","categories":[1,5],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/07\/heidi-thomas-on-the-longevity-of-call-the-midwife-and-season-12-plans.jpg",620,413,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/07\/heidi-thomas-on-the-longevity-of-call-the-midwife-and-season-12-plans-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/07\/heidi-thomas-on-the-longevity-of-call-the-midwife-and-season-12-plans-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/07\/heidi-thomas-on-the-longevity-of-call-the-midwife-and-season-12-plans.jpg",620,413,false],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/07\/heidi-thomas-on-the-longevity-of-call-the-midwife-and-season-12-plans.jpg",620,413,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/07\/heidi-thomas-on-the-longevity-of-call-the-midwife-and-season-12-plans.jpg",620,413,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/07\/heidi-thomas-on-the-longevity-of-call-the-midwife-and-season-12-plans.jpg",620,413,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Molly Moss Published: Sunday, 31 July 2022 at 12:00 am It\u2019s mid-July and Britain\u2019s hottest day of the year (so far) when I speak to Heidi Thomas, the creator and writer of the BBC One hit Call the Midwife, with temperatures hitting over 40 degrees Celsius, as she tells me she\u2019s just broken off…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/19541"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19542"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19541"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19541"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/01\/Call-The-Midwife-Helen-George-2e6455e.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
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