All Creatures Great and Small: Will there be a season 5 announcement soon?

Made by Playground and based on the novels by real-life Yorkshire vet Alf Wight, under the pen name James Herriot, the popular drama has been charming American viewers who enjoy immersing themselves in the Yorkshire Dales locations.

As yet, there has been no official announcement about season five from Channel 5, which broadcasts the series in the UK, or from PBS, which is currently broadcasting the fourth series in the US on MASTERPIECE, airing Sunday evenings until February 18.

Fans desperate for news have pointed out that the joint commissioning of seasons three and four was announced in early January 2022, and that no similar announcement has yet been made, even though filming for a fifth series would be expected to start in early spring.

Signs are hopeful for a green light, however. There has been significant investment, in the form of a new set for The Drovers, created following the brief closure of The Green Dragon at Hardraw (it reopened last May). “The hub of the community is the pub, and so many are closing that we didn’t want to go that way and be the village that didn’t spend much time in ours,” said Samuel West, who plays Siegfried Farnon, to The Yorkshire Post and a small group of journalists last year.

He and cast members Rachel Shenton (Helen Herriot), Nicholas Ralph (James Herriot), and Anna Madeley, who plays Mrs Hall, seemed keen for another outing.

“There are loads of stories that are still fantastic to tell,” said Anna Madeley. Samuel West said: “My dream is to have a scene in series five with Rachel, where we both get to ride together,” adding: “I’m talking entirely notionally, about if we get to have one. I think we are all still having a very nice time. There are lots of things we would still love to film. We seem to have made our home in the Dales now.”

Although season four fans were disappointed about the absence of Callum Woodhouse's Tristan Farnon, James Anthony-Rose has filled the gap admirably as trainee vet Richard Carmody. And for those longing to know more about All Creatures, there are some charming behind-the-scenes videos on PBS Masterpiece, including one with the cast explaining Yorkshire slang.

Meanwhile, The Hardacres is currently in production in Ireland. As the series is also made by Playground PBS, might this be offered as an alternative to All Creatures viewers hungry for more Yorkshire-set period drama? Might another explanation for any All Creatures delay be that the recent screenwriters’ strike has set back many projects, some of which might have involved cast members?

Fans remain hopeful that there will indeed be a fifth series of All Creatures Great and Small, and some were intrigued when, at a recent Q&A with US fans, Samuel West apparently commented that he had been starting to let his beard grow again - a hint, perhaps, that he was preparing to step into Siegfried’s shoes again very soon?

All Creatures Great and Small is on My5 in the UK.