Emma Willis: Delivering Babies returns for Season 4 on W, UKTV Play
January 22, 2024
Emma Willis returns to W and UKTV Play for a fourth season of Emma Willis: Delivering Babies (6×60’). The award-winning UKTV Original series, produced by Firecracker Films, will see Willis move to Watford General Hospital, managed by West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, to take on the role of Maternity Support Worker.
Willis said: “It feels great to be returning to the maternity ward as Maternity Support Worker. I have a nervous excitement about continuing my training at a brand-new hospital, which means a totally new ward and team to learn from and work alongside. It’s always an honour and privilege to gain an insight into the incredible role maternity care teams play in such an emotional and vulnerable time for expectant parents. My love and thanks go to everyone at the Princess Alexandra Hospital who have been a vital part of this adventure so far. They’re a special bunch and I’ll miss them very much… I can’t wait to get stuck in at a new hospital for what is sure to be another amazing opportunity to shine a light on one of the toughest but most rewarding vocations.”
The move to a different hospital will bring new challenges and opportunities for Willis, as she undertakes the required training for her role. Emma previously trained as a Maternity Care Assistant at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in 2018 and continued to work on the busy maternity ward for two further series, with a three-year gap in-between due to the pandemic. Willis’s last shift took place in 2022 and saw her work on the ward and in the local community, providing support to expectant mothers and families.
Emma Willis: Delivering Babies is commissioned for UKTV by Helen Nightingale, head of factual and factual entertainment, and ordered by Adam Collings, channel director for W and Hilary Rosen, director of commissioning. The series is executive produced for Firecracker Films by creative director Sam Emmery, and chief creative officer Jes Wilkins. Emile Nawagamuwa will executive produce for UKTV. Series producer for Emma Willis: Delivering Babies is Lisa Murphy-O’Reilly. The series will be distributed by Passion Distribution.
Nightingale said: “It’s a privilege to be working with Emma and the Firecracker team on the fourth series of this joyful show. This time we’ll see Emma step into a new maternity ward, alongside new colleagues, and we can’t wait to see her get stuck in. We are delighted to have this opportunity to shed light on more of Britain’s most hardworking, unsung heroes, midwives.”
Collings added: “At W, we know that Emma Willis: Delivering Babies is a true labour of love for Emma. It’s an absolute honour to work alongside her to provide our viewers with the opportunity to follow her on this heart-warming, emotional and sometimes challenging journey.”
Emmery commented: “We are delighted to be working with Emma and the team at W again on this much-loved series. We would like to thank The Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow for three brilliant series and supporting Emma through her training. For this fourth outing, we are very much looking forward to seeing Emma in new surroundings and are grateful to Watford General Hospital for granting us privileged access to their maternity ward.”
Emma Willis: Delivering Babies will air on W and UKTV Play later this year, with all previous series currently available to stream for free on UKTV Play.
UKTV recently announced its intention to launch ‘U’ – a new Masterbrand that will unite its family of free-to-air channels and its free streaming service. Launching in Summer 2024, the move will see its current streaming service UKTV Play transition to U and UKTV’s family of free-to-air channels will become U&Dave, U&DRAMA, U&YESTERDAY and U&W.