Fans of hit drama Call the Midwife will doubtless be pleased to hear that the show’s bosses have a Christmas special lined up this year.

The show proved such a hit on the BBC that after just two episodes of series one airing, the corporation bosses ordered a second series, and that’s set to air early in 2013.

Ben Stephenson, the controller of drama at BBC1 said of the yuletide offering, “Following its huge success, we simply couldn’t resist treating audiences to a Call the Midwife special this year.

“[It’s] our Christmas present for all BBC One viewers.”

And the show’s executive producer, Pippa Harris, added, “As the nights draw in and Christmas approaches, the residents of Nonnatus House pull together to celebrate the season in their own very special way…

“Christmas celebrates one particular birth, and so it’s especially fitting for BBC One to pay a visit to these much-loved characters, whose daily lives revolve around the joys and tribulations of childbirth.”

The series of course stars Miranda Hart, Jenny Agutter and Pam Ferris, and is set in the East End of London during the 1950s. The show is based on the memoirs of the last Jennifer Worth.

Each episode of series one averaged 10million viewers, and re-runs on the BBC’s iPlayer have also proved to be hugely popular.