BBC1 adds quiz, calls Midwife again

BBC1 in the UK has ordered a daytime quizshow and a sixth season of medical drama Call the Midwife.

Call the Midwife

Think Tank is being produced by 12 Yard Productions and features a regular cast of contributors who aim to help three contestants through a series of questions to win a cash prize.

It will be hosted by BBC journalist and newsreader Bill Turnbull and was commissioned by BBC Daytime controller Dan McGolpin and BBC1 Daytime commissioning editor Jo Street.

Andy Culpin, MD of 12 Yard, said Think Tank would be a “very different quizshow format where the questions have already been answered by our regular cast of contributors. With Bill Turnbull hosting, we get someone who is a consummate professional and will do a great job as a quizshow host.”

Meanwhile, BBC1 chief Charlotte Moore and the pubcaster’s drama boss Polly Hill have confirmed a sixth season of Call the Midwife.

The season, consisting of a Christmas special in 2016 followed by eight one-hour episodes in 2017, will be set in 1962 and is from UK prodco Neal Street Productions.

The show, which has sold around the world, launched in 2012 and has become one of the year’s most watched dramas, according to the BBC. All four seasons to date have averaged more than 10 million viewers per episode.