"All Creatures Great and Small" Brings Yorkshire Charm to ATX TV Festival
PBS Masterpiece made its ATX TV Festival debut Friday afternoon with a lively panel celebrating All Creatures Great and Small, the beloved period drama now in its sixth season. Star Nicholas Ralph, executive producer Sharon Moran, and animal coordinator and trainer Jill Clark joined moderator Melanie McFarland of Salon for a wide-ranging conversation about animals, wartime storytelling, and the joys of filming in the Yorkshire Dales.
Season six finds the residents of Skeldale House navigating the aftermath of World War II, set in May 1945 as the war draws to a close. Ralph reflected on James Herriot's complicated position — a man who volunteered for the RAF despite holding a reserved occupation, only to be medically withdrawn after training as a bomber pilot. "There's a battle between heart and head," Ralph said, noting a particularly poignant moment at the season's end when James watches groups of men celebrating V-E Day, feeling somewhat apart from it all, until Helen reminds him he is exactly where he belongs.
Moran spoke to the challenge of honoring multiple wartime experiences within the Skeldale household. Siegfried and Mrs. Hall, having lived through World War I, understood what was coming in a way James and Tristan did not. Helen, meanwhile, served her own form of duty on the home front, a storyline the producers deliberately expanded, since women's roles were less prominent in James Herriot's original books. "They needed a role and a purpose," Moran said.
Fans have been hoping to see the working relationship between Siegfried and Mrs. Hall expand into romance, but Moran was clear-eyed: Mrs. Hall is Siegfried's employee, and that boundary matters. "Siegfried would be lost without her — completely adrift," she said, but characterized the relationship as fundamentally companionable and platonic. "She will circumnavigate situations to help fix Siegfried. She has his back at all times."
Clark commanded much of the panel's warmth and laughter. She lives with many of the show's animal cast when they're not filming, transporting them back to North Yorkshire between productions. The show's canine roster was a particular highlight: Ernie, who plays Jess the golden retriever, operates on his own terms and has contributed at least one happy accident to the finished series — stealing a square of butter at the breakfast table, a moment that made it into the show as-is. Derek, the Pekingese who plays Tricki Woo, was described as a singular professional. Ralph recalled a scene in which Derek was scripted to follow Siegfried into a scullery and then into the pantry — and when West stopped unexpectedly, Derek simply looked at him and continued to the pantry anyway, as if to say he knew the script better than the humans. Derek is now retired and has been succeeded by Edora, his understudy. Patricia Hodge, who plays Mrs. Pumphrey following the death of Diana Rigg after season one, has developed her own special bond with Derek — she carries him like a doll, and once whispered something in his ear during an emotional scene that she declined to share with the crew afterward.
Rats were revealed to have been written into the show specifically for Samuel West, who keeps them as pets in real life. West had apparently been asking about their arrival for five seasons. Clark noted the rats are highly trainable and that West knows them well enough to immediately tell if she's brought the wrong one.
Cats, by contrast, were described as "spontaneous." Clark recalled a scene from series one in which Mrs. Hall had to run around a corner holding two cats, and each time, a different cat had migrated to a different location on her body, until finally only one remained. More feline storylines are reportedly on the way.
One of the show's most distinctive elements is the birth sequence that opens each season. Moran explained that storylining for season eight has already begun, even with four weeks left on season seven's post-production schedule, and that filming runs from February through April — prime lambing season in the Yorkshire Dales. Finding a newborn horse for a specific storyline once required a nationwide search because foals in the region are born only within a narrow seasonal window.
Ralph addressed whether he's ever on call for actual animal births. He is not. On-set vet Andy Barrett — who notably worked for the real James Herriot (pen name of Alf Wight) and was recommended by Wight's son Jim serves as Ralph's double for any invasive procedures. Ralph studies his work, films his version with prosthetics, and the two sets of footage are then edited together seamlessly. UK animal welfare regulations prohibit cast members from performing any invasive procedures with live animals.
The production nearly missed the birth of a lamb during season one. After a vet declared the animal wasn't ready and everyone dispersed — one to the chip shop, one to the shower — Clark checked her remote camera, spotted a hoof emerging, and frantically summoned Barrett back. "We nearly missed it," Moran said.
Clark also described the care taken with pregnant animals: a non-pregnant double is used for any scene requiring physical work near an expectant mother, so the actual pregnant animal is never stressed.
With four weeks remaining on season seven's production and season eight already in storylining, the panel was understandably tight-lipped. What they could confirm: the show moves into the postwar era, a time of hope and regeneration. The community is still pulling together through rationing and scarcity. "There might be a bit of romance," Moran offered. Ralph added that some new animals will appear. A trailer for the upcoming season was screened, which PBS viewers can expect in 2027. Moran noted that American viewers actually receive a slightly longer cut of each episode than UK audiences, with additional scenes added to fill PBS broadcast hours, making the wait across the pond a little more worthwhile.
Stay tuned for more coverage from ATX TV Fest.