Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

The British television series All Creatures Great and Small ran for seven seasons with a brief interruption.  During that interruption, the part of the wife of Dales veterinarian James Herriot was re-cast. For most fans of the series, that is the difference in the two distinct runs the series had.

The sixth season was the second to last for the series.  In many ways, it picks up the same way the series left off.  James Herriot (portrayed by Christopher Timothy) is working hard and dealing with the various quirky personalities in the Dales.  His partner, Siegfried (portrayed by Robert Hardy), is the senior partner in the practice.  Quite often Siegfried’s projections of confidence end with a humorous note.

Siegfried’s brother Tristan (portrayed by Peter Davison) is off trying to find his own way in the world as a veterinarian.  In reality, the actor was busy portraying one of the incarnations of the Doctor on another British program, Doctor Who.  He does come back for an appearance this year.  Helping out in the practice has been a young veterinarian named Calum (portrayed by John McGlynn).

The first episode for this sixth season is nice as it really gets back to the flavor of some of the earlier seasons.  With the women off to London, James and Siegfried move in with Calum for a week.  This really builds on the camaraderie of the men together the way it was with Siegfried, Tristan, and James when the series was first launched.  

However, that isn’t lasting as the show gets caught up once again in Calum’s personal life.  Eventually, he and Dierdre are wed, which prompts the return of Tristan.  Calum takes a job in Nova Scotia, and is then gone from the show.  This mirrors the book in some ways in regard to an assistant James had, so it’s not like the storyline was just created for the sake of the series.

In some ways, the show grows better once Calum is out of the picture.  Without the diversion of him and his social life, it’s back to the central characters of James and Siegfried working at their profession.  At first, time is spent trying to get someone new to help them.  The first have a familiar face by the name of Willie Bannister, who seems to be a real ladies man, except for the fact that he's a bit of a health nut at a time when that philosophy wasn't all that popular or accepted.  Eventually, the storyline is dropped except for the fact that James and Siegfried do seem overworked.

The show still has the eccentric characters that live around the Dales.  Two brothers live in the same cottage but haven't spoken in years, two neighbors who are also rivals are brought together by the birth of a baby and a foal, and Mrs. Pomphrey and her pampered pup Trickie Woo are seen.  It wouldn’t be a season of All Creatures Great and Small without at least one crisis in Trickie Woo’s life.

If there’s one trend I noticed this season, it’s that there seems to be more stories about people objecting to being charged for the services for one reason or another.  I don't know if this was a widespread issue at the time, or if the writers just were running out of ideas and used this plot over and over.  The most poignant episode of the series since the third season has to be The Best Time.  This has a great story in it about the bitterness of the Second World War and trying to move on from all of the anger and pain.

One plot developed in the specials between the third and fourth seasons of the series was Siegfried getting married.  However, once the series was begun again, it seemed as if she were dropped completely.  In the sixth season, Siegfried does mention his wife, Caroline.  I think this is the first time since the specials that his wife was talked about.  She is seen at Calum's wedding as well.  However, she isn’t at all integral to the happenings around the practice like James’ wife Helen (portrayed by Lynda Bellingham) was.

Many people have compared Lynda Bellingham to Carol Drinkwater, the original Helen.  I admit, at first, that I didn’t care for her the way I cared for Drinkwater in the role.  However, by now she has grown on me.  Helen here is a more mature character and Drinkwater portrays her that way.  She does a fine job with it.  Christopher Timothy is as reliable as ever in the role of James, if he’s being written as more of a curmudgeon at times, rather than the fun-loving young vet he was when the series began.  Robert Hardy is maturing as well and more often tending to be cast as the foil, something he seems to enjoy.  The cast all seem to enjoy each other quite a bit.

Several of the episodes this season have a different look to it, which makes me wonder if the series was still being recorded on film.  The look has lost the grainy charm of the earlier seasons.  It still isn’t a perfectly crisp picture, which really is fine for the series as it lends a degree of charm and warmth to the show.  There are no special features to the collection, which is a shame.  I would have liked to have seen or heard more from the actors.  In earlier collections, there was at least one episode which had commentary accompanying it.  I also don't understand why the twelve episodes were spread out over four discs.  At the most they could have been on three, but I think they could have even been compacted onto two.  This way it feels like it was milked to add an extra disc to justify the cost to purchase it.

By far the series' best years were behind it.  However, that doesn't mean that the sixth season of All Creatures Great and Small isn't a good series, especially compared to most.  I thoroughly enjoyed it as did my daughter who has an affection for animals.  The quirky characters and consistently-written central characters do make the show quite entertaining.  It’s a terrific show for the whole family to watch together.


Disc One

Here and There
The Course of True Love
The Call of the Wild

Disc Two

The Nelson Touch
Blood and Water
Where Sheep May Safely Graze

Disc Three

The New World
Mending Fences
Big Fish, Little Fish

Disc Four

In Whom We Trust
The Rough and the Smooth
The Best Time

Bonus Feature:

• Who's Who Actor Biographies


My All Creatures Great and Small series reviews:

Series One ~ Series Two ~ Series Three ~ The Specials ~ Series Four ~ Series Five ~ Series Six ~ Series Seven



© 2009 Patti Aliventi

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD