“Call the Midwife” is primarily set in London’s East End from the late 1950s into the 1960s, starting around 1957 and moving forward roughly a year each season.

Main time period

  • The show begins in the late 1950s , with the first episodes set in 1957 in the impoverished Poplar district of London.
  • Over subsequent seasons, the story moves through the early to late 1960s , reflecting social and medical changes of the era.

How the setting shifts by season

  • Seasons 1–3 stay in the 1950s , exploring post-war poverty, early NHS developments, and life in a working-class community.
  • From season 4 onward, each series typically jumps to the next year, moving through 1960, 1963, 1964, 1966 and on toward the late 1960s.

Why that era matters

  • The setting lets the show tackle issues like unsafe abortions, thalidomide, changing views on childbirth, and shifts in women’s roles in society.
  • It also highlights broader historical events of the 1960s, such as immigration tensions and cultural change, woven into the characters’ personal stories.

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