All Creatures Great And Small
Channel 5, Christmas Eve, 9pm
When you’re wrapped up on Christmas Eve for All Creatures Great And Small, you might feel all warm and cosy. You won’t be as warm as the cast.
Filmed across Yorkshire at the height of summer 2021, viewers can expect more endearing tales from the heart of the Dales with James Herriot, the real-life vet played by Nicholas Ralph.
“It was late June when we filmed, it was boiling and I was kitted out in a three-piece suit, a jacket and hat, lugging a Christmas tree around,” said Ralph. “But you don’t lose any of the Christmassy loveliness when you see the episode, even if it was tough to film wintery scenes in the height of summer!”
In this episode Herriot has to deal with his parents back in Glasgow and reveal his heart lies in Yorkshire; a real dilemma faced by the vet in the ’40s.
“James hasn’t spoken to his mum since they visited Darrowby,” explained Ralph.
“That was left on a bit of a sour note. He has spoken to his dad briefly since their visit but James is quite anxious because it was a big decision for him to stay in Darrowby with the knowledge that his parents are struggling a bit financially.
“Ultimately, of course, James decided to stay in the Dales because he has fallen in love with the place and the people.”
One storyline sees the wonderfully named Mrs Pumphrey anxious about how she’s spending the festive season; something Patricia Hodge, who plays the character, thinks is appropriate for Christmas in the age of Covid.
“It will be a big reminder of last Christmas for all of us. It was tough,” she said. “People can get into a lather about Christmas, thinking we have to do this and we have to invite these people, but last year was proof that Christmas can be what you want it to be.
“That said, Mrs Pumphrey’s Christmas will likely resonate with a lot of people who weren’t able to have their family around them last year.”
No episode of All Creatures Great And Small would be complete without some sort of ailing animal although the giant roast turkey doesn’t count.
Mrs Pumphrey’s beloved Tricki Woo, a pampered pekingese, is quite ill, concludes Herriot’s fellow vet Siegfried Farnon.
“For all vets, Christmas is a time for work as well as holiday, and Siegfried’s no exception,” said Samuel West, who plays Farnon. “He’s called to see Tricki Woo by Mrs Pumphrey, and instead of the usual Christmas hamper and a made-up illness, he finds a properly ill dog.
“There’s professional concern about the treasured companion of one of our most important clients. But there’s also personal concern – they’re all very fond of Tricki, despite themselves.”
West was keen to pay tribute to popular canine cast member Derek, the dog who plays Tricki Woo.
“This is not meant to be an exaggeration: it really feels like he’s read the script,” said West. “He has an instinctive understanding of the mood of the scene, whether it’s energetic, comic, tense or sad, and some of the most touching scenes are between Tricki and his carers. They don’t have words, but then they don’t seem to need them.”