Overview
- Channel 5 confirms All Creatures Great & Small: Behind the Magic at 8pm and the Christmas Special at 9pm on 24 December.
- The special is set at Christmas 1945 in Darrowby as James takes charge of the village Nativity while Helen is unwell, with Tricki’s future as a father questioned.
- Plot threads include Siegfried visiting Mrs Stokes’ farm where Hilda the goat plays up, Mrs Hall rallying a Drovers’ darts team, and Tristan sorting the Christmas tree with help from Charlotte.
- Samuel West highlights the show’s balance of joy and poignancy, citing the on‑set vet’s line that “the animals don’t know it’s Christmas” and pointing to Hilda’s affecting storyline.
- The companion programme offers fresh production insight, with Anna Madeley noting she doesn’t cook the food on screen and the team revealing non‑working kitchen fixtures and prop-friendly recipes.