‘Call the Midwife’ season 4 will not be its last; season 5 already ordered by BBC

How is this for an unexpected surprise when it comes to “Call the Midwife“? Not only is the show going to be coming back for its fourth season in early 2015, but it has been confirmed that a fifth go-around is going to air in 2016. This season will consist of a Christmas Special, and then also eight new episodes.

Should we be surprised by this? Only slightly, and it’s due to the fact that the show lost Jessica Raine as a regular after season 3: We thought that they would be somewhat-anxious about renewing the show about before seeing how the series fared without her on board. Clearly, this is a great show of confidence to Heidi Thomas and the entire cast and crew that the ratings will remain as big as ever. While “Downton Abbey” may be a bigger hit in America, “Call the Midwife” has actually surpassed it in many ways when it comes to numbers in its home country.

In a statement regarding the big renewal, Ben Stephenson of the BBC had the following to say:

“Call the Midwife is one of UK’s most popular dramas and in series four, Heidi Thomas’s writing meets new heights … I’m delighted to be commissioning a new series.”

What we’ve also learned through all of this is that the show is going to be progressing slowly into the 1960s, which is interesting mostly in that it will eventually be getting to the same part of time that we had early on during the run of “Mad Men” over on AMC in America.

What do you think about this news, and the timing of it to go along with it? Let us know right now in the comments, and head over here to read more of the latest in regards to “Call the Midwife.” You can also sign up to acquire some further TV news and updates on all we cover via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo via BBC.)