If ever a Sunday evening TV show might be prescribed as a healing balm, then it surely is the BBC/PBS drama Call The Midwife.
The series began in 2012 and has since become one of British TV’s most popular exports, thanks to its heart-melting stories about a band of midwives working in East London, initially in the 1950s but now well into the 1960s.
The music for the series is written by London-based Italian composer Maurizio Malagnini, who picked up the reigns from composer Peter Salem (who wrote the main theme tune) from the fourth series. Since then he has supported the dramas and joys with highly emotional orchestral music (largely piano and strings).
An episode of Call The Midwife wouldn’t be complete without at least one great crescendo of uplifting joy as another new life if brought safely into the world – and often against the odds.
Malagnini studied composition in Italy, continuing his studies in London at the Royal College of Music, where he is now a professor of screen composing. He is Emmy-nominated for his music for The Paradise, and his music has recently been heard in the BBC’s acclaimed drama The C Word and ITV’s lavish Peter and Wendy.
Can you buy the soundtrack for Call The Midwife?
An album of Malagnini’s music for the series was released digitally in 2018 and is available to download, while an older soundtrack album of period songs and selections of music by original series composer Peter Salem was released on CD in 2012.
You can buy the CD of the soundtrack from Amazon, or the individual tracks. The soundtrack is also available from HMV.
You can buy the Call the Midwife Christmas Album on the iTunes store, as well as a selection of other seasons' soundtracks.
Can you stream the soundtrack for Call The Midwife?
Both the 2012 soundtrack album and the 2018 Maurizio Malagnini album are available to stream in all the usual places, including Spotify and Apple Music.
When is the Call The Midwife Christmas Special on?
The much-anticipated Christmas Special was filmed during lockdown and will be on BBC One at 8pm on 25 December, Christmas Day. It will then be available to view on BBC iPlayer (in the UK).
The show is then due to return to our screens in January 2022 with its 11th season.
Which book is Call The Midwife based on?
The first few series’ were based on a memoir of the same name by Jennifer Worth, published in 2002. The first of three memoirs, it chronicled her memories of working as a midwife in the London borough of Poplar during the 1950s. After nine series’, the show’s writers have necessarily had to come up with original stories; they’re very much written in the spirit of Jennifer Worth, though.
Where can you watch Call the Midwife online internationally?
The ten series of Call the Midwife are available to watch now on BritBox. Subscriptions available here for £5.99 per month.
If you're based in the UK, you can watch Call the Midwife on the BBC iPlayer.