It might just be May, but Call the Midwife is already getting ready for its traditional Christmas special! The BBC show has began filming the one-off episode as well as season eight, and Harry Potter star Miriam Margolyes has been confirmed to be guest starring in the festive episode. Miriam will star as Sister Mildred, an unrelenting sister from the Order arrives unexpectedly at Nonnatus House with four Chinese orphans who are being adopted in the UK. According to ITV, the visitors will "cause joy and chaos in equal measure". Trixie will also return in the Christmas special to cover for the Sisters as they leave for the Mother House as the Order's Mother Superior is taken ill and a new leader needs to be elected. Sister Julienne is horrified to discover that she is the favoured candidate for the role.
A first look at the Christmas special
Meanwhile, Ella Bruccoleri, Fenella Woolgar and Georgie Glen have all become regular cast members on the series as Sister Frances, Sister Hilda and the new receptionist Miss Higgins respectively. The synopsis for season eight reads: "It's spring time in 1964 and everyone is excited for the Queen's Royal birth. Violet is holding a Teddy Bears' Picnic and raising funds through a competition on whether the Queen will have a boy or a girl. With the additions of the two new Sisters, who have been sent to live and work with the team in Poplar, Nonnatus House feels full once more."
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It continues: "The midwives are introduced to their new midwifery bags, much to the distress of an already under the weather Sister Monica Joan who disturbingly absconds from Nonnatus House. Meanwhile, Nurse Crane is braced for a twin delivery but is confident the team can handle this smoothly." Speaking about the new series, the show creator Heidi Thomas said: "It is an immense privilege to be starting work on Series Eight of Call The Midwife, and we can't wait to share the events of 1964 with our loyal and passionate audience. People often ask me how we can keep coming back year after year, but the answer is simple - we never run out of stories, and we never run out of love."
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