The good news for Hearties is that work has begun on Season 9 of When Calls the Heart. The bad news is that the new episodes won’t air until 2022. For those who need their Hope Valley fix before then, there’s a new app that takes users behind the scenes of the beloved Hallmark show.
When Calls the Heart is a free app that features videos, photos, recipes, When Calls the Heart merchandise, and even devotional texts for fans.
The app was built by Edify Films, a Washington-based company that describes itself on Twitter as a Christian distributor of When Calls the Heart DVDs and merchandise.
Among the videos on the app are interviews with the show’s stars, as well as one with Janette Oke, the Canadian author who wrote the series on which the program is based.
In the clip, Oke talked about the thrilling moment she first visited the set of Hope Valley, which is located on a farm in British Columbia.
“It’s this beautiful little town, which is so typical of small towns in that day and age, and so that sort of makes you feel like you are stepping back in time,” she said.
Oke was also surprised by the number of people working behind the scenes to put the show together.
“It’s like a little ant hill,” she said. “And they’re all over and they’re doing their part and everybody knows exactly what that is.”
Costume design
Among the videos on the app is an interview with the show’s costume designer, Barbara Gregusova, who joined the production team in Season 3.
“They didn’t have that many costumes from Season 1 because all of those were mostly rented,” she said. “So basically what we have in stock is Season 2.”
But the costumes changed dramatically in Season 3, she said. In the first season, the clothing was historically accurate but on the dark and drab side. The second season was more modern.
The producers asked her to find a happy medium between the two for Season 3. She did and admits that the looks worn by the cast aren’t completely historically accurate.
“It’s not like 1912,” she said. “It’s like Hallmark 1912.”
Kristina Wagner, who plays Nora Avery on the show, talked about the new costumes reflecting the changes in the story line, when the small mining village of Coal Valley became the town of Hope Valley in Season 2.
“They softened our hair and they gave us bright-colored clothing,” Wagner said.
As beautiful as the costumes are, she said, the focus of the show isn’t clothes but values.
“It’s about moral values and those lessons we learn in order to grow and enrich our lives,” she said.
Recipes, coloring sheets, and more
Among the many features included in the app are downloadable coloring sheets for children and recipes from the many When Calls the Heart cookbooks that have been published over the years.
Also included are devotional texts for family study, with a synopsis of a particular episode and questions and scripture reflecting the lesson it is teaching.
Season 8 of When Calls the Heart finished May 9. Season 9 is scheduled to air in early 2022.
This is fabulous and a great way to get everything WCTH in one spot! Would love lots of interviews BTS with cast and crew. Thank you!