‘Call The Midwife’ will introduce its first black midwife, Lucille, in the next series it has been revealed.
The show’s creator Heidi Thomas detailed her plans for the West Indian character, who has not been cast yet, at the BFI & Radio Times Television Festival.
She said (via Radio Times): “My research is continually bringing up new things. One thing we’re really looking forward to in series seven is my research has made me very aware of the contributions made by West Indian and Caribbean nurses to the NHS in the early 1960s.
“We’ll be introducing our first West Indian young regular midwife to Nonnatus House in series seven. She’s going to bring stories with her, and a different cultural point of view, and that’s very exciting.”
“Elegant, funny and clever, Lucille is swift to settle in, and brings a fresh new energy to life at Nonnatus House,” Heidi continued. “Casting is currently underway, and we look forward to introducing Lucille to our ten million fans very soon.”
‘Call The Midwife’ will return with a 2017 Christmas special, with the seventh series following in early 2018.
The most recent episodes of the show were praised by viewers and critics alike, and the programme was recently voted the Best Drama Of The 21st Century, by Radio Times readers.
The series six finale saw things end on a high, as Patsy Mount and Delia Busby shared their first on-screen kiss, while Barbara Gilbert and Tom Hereward got hitched.