Call the Midwife may have aired the final episode of its eighth series tonight, but fans were always safe in the knowledge that the hit BBC One drama would be returning for a ninth season next year.

But the good news doesn't stop there, as not only does filming on the new series begin very soon, but tonight (March 3) the BBC has also confirmed that Call the Midwife has been renewed again, revealing it will now be on air until at least 2022 as it returns for series 10 and series 11.

Both of the newly-commissioned series will feature eight 60-minute episodes, as well as a Christmas special each, which means we'll be spending a lot of time in Poplar over the next few years.

Neal Street Productions / Ollie Upton BBC

The most recent series of Call the Midwife has become BBC One's biggest show of 2019 so far – not to mention the highest-rated returning drama across all channels this year – averaging 9 million viewers per episode.

"Even after all these years, it still feels as though Call the Midwife has more truth to tell, more tears to cry, more life to celebrate, and more love to give," creator Heidi Thomas said in a statement.

"We are blessed with the best cast, crew, and audience a show could wish for, and I could not be more excited about our future."

Neal Street Productions/BBC

Series 8 of the show explored several highly-emotional issues across both social and medical history, from a harrowing illegal abortion storyline to the introduction of the first smear tests in Britain, as well as mixed-race marriages, adoptions, sickle cell disease and more.

Speaking previously about when we could expect the show to end, Thomas hinted that it may not be for a while yet as the story moves on from 1964 and into the 1970s.

"Because every series has a new year attached to it, I think we could go on for a few years to come. But who knows? We aren't bored yet!" she said.

Call the Midwife will return to BBC One with a Christmas special later this year, before series 9 premieres in 2020.

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