Our take
The first Christmas special is the one that made this version of All Creatures a festive habit: a Christmas Eve party in a lamplit house, a foggy night on a hill farm and a long-awaited turn in the central romance. It is gentle, funny and quietly moving, especially in Anna Madeley's scenes as a mother waiting by the door. Comfort television at its best, and the ideal place to start if you have never been to the Dales with this cast.
What happens
It is Christmas Eve at Skeldale House. Tristan has hung mistletoe everywhere, Mrs Hall has laid on a feast and is anxiously waiting for her estranged son Edward, and Siegfried hosts his annual party for the villagers, playing Father Christmas with a reluctant Tristan as his elf. James, trying to bury his feelings, is due home to Scotland, and Helen is to marry Hugh Hulton the next day. When Bert Chapman calls about a dog struggling to give birth, Helen asks to go with James to escape the wedding talk. Together they deliver the stuck puppy and watch its mother lick it back to life, and then fog traps them overnight at the elderly couple's remote farm, where the wife quietly sees what James has not said. At the party, Tristan helps Maggie's shy little brother with the nativity donkey, which has eaten mistletoe, and Siegfried finally kisses Dorothy. Edward never comes, and Siegfried sits with Mrs Hall at church. Tristan's exam results arrive; Siegfried announces a pass and burns the letter. James sets off for Scotland, turns back at a crossroads, and finds that Helen has called off the wedding.
Can the kids watch it?
Rated PG by the BBFC for mild bad language, references to racism and medical detail, so a good one for families.
Cast and crew
Starring
- Nicholas Ralph as James Herriot
- Samuel West as Siegfried Farnon
- Rachel Shenton as Helen Alderson
- Anna Madeley as Mrs Hall
- Callum Woodhouse as Tristan Farnon
Guest stars
- Matthew Lewis as Hugh Hulton
- Maimie McCoy as Dorothy
- Mollie Winnard as Maggie