Heidi Thomas not leaving Call the Midwife, despite rumors

If you’ve been concerned that Call the Midwife was losing creator Heidi Thomas, there’s no longer any reason to be. The prolific writer is sticking on board the BBC drama, and in a statement on Facebook, the show confirms that she plans on sticking around until the very end. Season 9 is slated to begin early next year following a Christmas Special, whereas season 10 and 11 are already ordered. That means that Thomas, pending some last-minute surprise, will be on board the series until at least 2022.

So what brought on this speculation that she could somehow depart the series? A lot of it seems to stem from the idea of her working on some other projects — something that many writers within the television world do. It’s a way for them to continue to do some of what they love, while at the same time taking on other challenges and being creatively fulfilled every step of the way.

In the aforementioned Facebook post, here is some of what Thomas had to say:

Remarks I made about developing new projects for the future have clearly been taken the wrong way – any reports that I am quitting Call The Midwife are absolute nonsense. I am at my desk as usual, fuelled by a large madeira cake, and busy creating new adventures for the Nonnatus House family.

With this in mind, breathe easy — Call the Midwife wouldn’t be the same without the creator and the show clearly knows it. While this series has been able to withstand a great deal of change within its cast, one of the reasons why is because they’ve had such a stable presence behind the scenes. Thomas is the person responsible for steering the ship. She’s kept the tone and the messaging of the series the same for so many years and understands what it is truly all about: The heroes who work tirelessly to help mothers in need. While having continuity there is helpful in terms of the characters, the structure of the series is so solid that it can withstand a certain degree of change … at least in front of the camera.

Call the Midwife season 9 has been in production for quite some time; you can read some more news about the Christmas Special now over at the link here.

Are you happy to know that Call the Midwife is keeping Heidi Thomas around?

Be sure to share in the comments. (Photo: BBC.)