Ever wondered where – and how – Call the Midwife is filmed? It certainly isn’t shot on the streets of 21st century Poplar, which have changed rapidly since the late 1950s and early 60s.
Instead, the production team has cleverly combined studio sets with location shoots and preserved historic exteriors to create the world of Call the Midwife, from Nonnatus House to the streets of east London.
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With series eight hitting screens, here are all the filming locations you need to know about:
Where is Nonnatus House filmed?
Call the Midwife has made its home at Longcross Film Studios in Surrey, close to Chertsey and not far from London.
Here, the production team has created an extremely impressive exterior set which is left standing year-round.
Stepping onto set is like being transported back in time and straight into the Call the Midwife universe.
Taking pride of place is Nonnatus House, but the set also includes the Hendy Street allotments where Fred Buckle (Cliff Parisi) spends his time, the famous bridge, Violet’s shop, the square outside Nonnatus, nearby houses, and local shopfronts.
Interior scenes are also filmed at Longcross. The Manor House’s grand central staircase is a recognisable the midwives’ headquarters, while locations such as the Turners’ house and the nuns’ dining room are filmed using a closed studio set.
Behind the scenes on Call the Midwife Series 8: Nearly done!Today we bring you an exclusive video clip from behind the scenes at our film studios in Longcross, Surrey, UK, where the final episodes of Call the Midwife series 8 are now in progress! We take you on a quick walk through the working studio environment to our Turner set, where our trusty crew are setting up for a major scene :-)There is little more than a month of filming left in our long shooting season. After which….the countdown to Christmas begins!!We can't WAIT to be back in your living rooms. xxxxCall the MIdwife returns with a new Christmas Special, and Series 8 in 2019. 🙂
Posted by Call the Midwife on Friday, September 7, 2018
Longcross Studios was once a Ministry of Defence site, but is now a major filming location – having been used for movies including Thor: The Dark World, Guardians of the Galaxy, Skyfall, Fast & Furious 6, and Doctor Strange.
Unfortunately for Call the Midwife fans, the studio is not open to the public.
The BBC drama arrived at Longcross in 2013, when the production team was forced to leave Nonnatus House’s previous location at St Joseph’s Missionary College in Mill Hill, North London – so it could be sold and converted into luxury flats.
Where is Poplar filmed for Call the Midwife?
The Historic Dockyard Chatham in Kent has been used to film exteriors and outdoor scenes since the show’s very beginning. In fact, it now runs an Official Call the Midwife Tour, which features a walk through key filming locations as well as an exhibition of props, sets and costumes.
It may be 30 miles from Poplar, but the Dockyard doubles as London’s East End, with its old-fashioned cobbled streets and building exteriors that work perfectly for the show as it heads into the 1960s.
For example, the entrance to Doctor Turner’s surgery is filmed at Chatham – as are plenty of scenes where our midwives zoom through their streets on their bicycles.
And, of course, if the storylines demand a ship, there’s the nearby HMS Cavalier which has appeared multiple times in Call the Midwife throughout the years.
Dating back to the mid-16th century and used by the Royal Navy for hundreds of years, the Dockyard closed in 1984. It is now run as a visitor attraction, but its 100 100 original Victorian and Georgian buildings also make it a popular filming location.
Where is the Mother House filmed in the Christmas special?
In the 2018 Call the Midwife Christmas special, Sister Julienne (Jenny Agutter) and the nuns of Nonnatus House are summoned to the Order’s Mother House to elect a new Mother Superior, with Shelagh Turner (Laura Main) coming along for the ride.
But will Sister Julienne be elected as to the top job and forced to say goodbye to her beloved Poplar for ever?
The Mother House is officially based near Chichester, so cast and crew took a trip to West Wittering in Sussex to film key scenes for the Christmas special.
This quiet village is situated on the Manhood Peninsula, and is close to both the sandy West Wittering beach and the stony East Wittering beach.
Call the Midwife season eight airs on PBS on Sundays at 8/7c
This article was originally published in December 2018
from Radio Times http://bit.ly/2WOvpah
