Call the Midwife’s Nonnatus House jeopardy storyline has lost its edge – and here’s why

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Nonnatus House is facing uncertainty. With the National Health Service changing to create a more connected system in Call the Midwife, programs like theirs, which focus on local community care, are at risk.

As more births take place in hospitals and fewer at home, people are increasingly wondering if home births will eventually disappear.

Despite the challenges, the clinic is still operating and providing vital care to the Poplar community. However, Sister Julienne has received notice that funding will be cut at the end of the year unless the staff stop wearing their religious habits.

A deliberate nudge towards extinction? Or simply a way to keep them in line? Only time will tell.

Jenny Agutter acknowledged the order to stop wearing the nuns’ habits was understandable on its own. However, she explained it raised a larger issue: Sister Julienne views the nuns as dedicated to serving the people of the East End, and believes their primary commitment is to God. The habit, she felt, was an important symbol of their dedication to the community.

It’s more than just recognizing who someone is; it’s about understanding their purpose, what they should be doing, and feeling like their contributions are no longer valued.

Financial difficulties aren’t new to Nonnatus House. They’ve always faced funding challenges, and it wasn’t long ago that Matthew saved them from a similar situation. Sadly, he later faced his own financial problems and had to move to New York to rebuild his life.

Looking back, what really set those earlier seasons apart wasn’t just the stakes, but the uncertainty surrounding the show’s longevity. We didn’t know where things were headed, and that added a real weight to every decision the characters made. Now, with the benefit of hindsight and a fully planned-out arc, that initial sense of genuine risk just isn’t the same.

When Dr. Threapwood proposed a plan that would have put all the staff directly under the health service and allowed Nonnatus House to be closed at any time, the future of Call the Midwife was uncertain – the show hadn’t yet been renewed for another season.

After that disappointing announcement, fans had to wait over two weeks to find out if the show would be renewed for seasons 14 and 15.

Call the Midwife is facing changes due to healthcare shifts and a decreasing number of nuns, trends that will likely continue. Instead of a Christmas special this year, the BBC series will return with a prequel, and plans are also underway for a movie filmed abroad, most likely in Australia.

And it’s not stopping there, with season 16 set to arrive after that.

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Although the show likely won’t run for another 16 seasons – everyone agrees it will eventually end – Call the Midwife is still secure for the foreseeable future. This makes it hard to feel any real concern when the show hints at the possible closure of Nonnatus House. Ultimately, decisions about what information to share, and when, are made by the television channels and streaming services.

It’s possible this topic has been discussed so much that people are simply losing interest. Our recent data confirms this decline in engagement.

Traditionally, TV shows like this one eventually move away from focusing on local healthcare stories – though the show’s writer, Heidi Thomas, could potentially change details to keep it going. However, there’s still a lot of potential for future storylines and the show remains engaging.

When Thomas eventually moves on, she’ll undoubtedly create a new world with fresh characters that viewers will adore. While Nonnatus House is important to Call the Midwife, it’s really the people and the stories that keep us coming back for more.

Call the Midwife season 15 continues on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Sunday 18th January 2026 at 8pm.

Authors

Abby RobinsonDrama Editor

Abby Robinson is the Drama Editor at TopMob, where she writes about TV dramas and comedies. Before joining TopMob, she worked as a TV writer for Digital Spy and as a content writer for Mumsnet. She has a degree and a postgraduate diploma in English Studies.

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2026-01-25 21:35