All Creatures Great and Small Series 7: This is when the new series will air as romance blooms at Skeldale House
Channel 5 has announced when the new season of All Creatures Great and Small will launch - alongside storylines unfolding for much-loved characters Siegfried and Mrs Hall, Tristan and Charlotte, and of course, James and Helen Herriot and their children.
The new series will air on Thursday, September 17, at 9pm.
Episode one is called ‘Back to School’. It picks up in Spring 1946, a few months after the festive finale of season six, which left a few questions.
What we do know is that the whole Skeldale House family is together, under one jam-packed roof.
The war is over, but its effects continue. The traditional way of life is changing, and Helen (Rachel Shenton) considers the future of the farm. Will her father, Richard Alderson (Tony Pitts) agree?
Series six ended with Dorothy (Maimie McCoy) rekindling her romance with Siegfried with a kiss under the mistletoe, while Mrs Hall (Anna Madeley) won a game of darts at The Drovers.
A few months on, and Dorothy is still in the picture and “seems to be having a positive effect on Siegfried”, according to 5, while Mrs Hall is “enjoying having her friend around”.
Last week, 5 seemed to tease a love triangle story when it released an image showing Siegfried in the middle, with Dorothy and Mrs Hall either side. Confused? Well, yes.
The romance between Tristan (Callum Woodhouse) and Charlotte (Gaia Wise) appears to be continuing too, with a photo released showing the pair together.
Now an impressive mature vet, James (Nicholas Ralph) is excited about developments in veterinary medicine, but a rival arrives as a potential threat to the Skeldale practice.
Siegfried (Samuel West) is suspicious of Granville Bennett (Caolan McCarthy), while Tristan is impressed by his style - and James begins to question himself.
James, Helen and the children, Jimmy (Thomas Riches) and Rosie (Isabella Ward) visit the sweet shop where Geoff Hatfield is worried about his cat, Alfred.
Jimmy is excited to start school but will have to adjust to the changes it brings.
Also reprising their roles are Patricia Hodge as Mrs Pumphrey, with Tricki (Dora), Imogen Clawson as Jenny, and Mollie Winnard as Maggie.
There will be six new hour-long episodes plus a Christmas Special.
When the storylines play out on screen, they will begin to make sense of the filming that fans from across the world witnessed this spring and early summer in Grassington, Arncliffe, Ripley, Kettlewell and other Yorkshire Dales locations, and in Bradford.
In Grassington, hundreds of fans watched as the Herriot family entered a sweet shop; as Siegfried, Mrs Hall, Tristan and Rosie waved off little Jimmy and his parents; as a mysterious new character (who looks rather like Siegfried) drove across the square in a flashy red sports car; and as the three Skeldale vets strode purposefully across to The Drovers.
Based on James Herriot’s books, by real-life Thirsk vet Alf Wight, 5’s adaptation is produced by BAFTA -winning Playground and MASTERPIECE on PBS.
Writers are Neil Jones (Episodes 1 and 6), Debbie O’Malley (2, 4 and 7), Maxine Alderton (3) and Kellie Smith (5). Directing are Brian Percival (1 and 2), Jennie Paddon (3 and 4) and Andy Hay (5, 6 and the Christmas Special). Yvonne Francas returns as Producer.
Series 1–6 are available to stream on 5.