When does the All Creatures Great and Small Christmas special 2022 air?

Virgin Radio

8 Dec 2022, 08:36

The cast of All Creatures Great and Small are back for a special Christmas episode for Channel 5.

Launched in 2020 and based on James Herriot’s best-selling novels, All Creatures Great and Small focuses on the adventures of James, a young country vet who lives and works in Yorkshire in the late 1930s.

The Christmas special will bring to a close the third series of the show and will air on Friday, 23rd December at 9pm on Channel 5.

Nicholas Ralph, who plays James Herriot, said he believed this year’s Christmas episode would “bring the same uplifting, hopeful, warm, funny, but also touching drama” as the last two.

Ironically, the Christmas special was filmed in Yorkshire during the summer heatwave earlier this year but the story will be set during the festive period in 1939, with the world at war and the people of Darrowby coming to terms with their changing world.

Returning alongside Ralph will be Rachel Shenton, who plays the newly wed Helen Herriot and Samuel West as head vet Siegfried Farnon. Anna Madeley will be back as Mrs Hall the housekeeper, Callum Woodhouse as Siegfried’s brother Tristan, Imogen Clawson as Helen’s sister Jenny and a special festive role has been made for Tony Pitts, who will be playing Mr Alderson.

Patricia Hodge will also be back as Mrs Pumphrey, who has recently got a new pet kitten that is need of extra care at Pumphrey Manor.

The Christmas special will see a guest arrive at Skeldale House- a young refugee who brings a lot of mischief and wonder to Yorkshire. Siegfried will also be called upon to treat an injured racehourse and becomes embroiled in a compromising dilemma in the process.

Meanwhile, Mrs Hall finds herself inviting Gerald to a Skeldale Christmas party after bumping into him at the market in Darrowby.

Executive producer Melissa Gallant said: “We are delighted to be offering the audience one more trip back to the sanctuary of Darrowby before the year is out. An All Creatures Christmas special always aims to deliver uplifting celebration alongside the often painful reality of Christmas for many, and this year's episode is no exception.

“This is our first Christmas during wartime and we wanted to reflect something of the reality of war for our Skeldale family. Ben Vanstone cooks up his signature Christmas feast full of fun, festivity, community, romance, Father Christmas, tears, and of course a resurgence of Mrs Hall's excellent sausage rolls. We have all laughed and cried - a lot - making it and hope it will bring a little necessary joy and catharsis to the end of a challenging year for many.”

All Creatures Great and Small is on Channel 5 on Friday, December 23, at 9pm.