'All Creatures Great & Small' Keeps "The Home Fires" Burning

With James leaving for Devon at the end of last week’s All Creatures Great & Small for his RAF training, Helen is lonely despite the affectionate company of her adopted cat, Oscar. She busies herself with fixing the leaking kitchen tap before Siegfried blusters in and takes over. Skeldale House is also quieter than usual, with only one veterinarian for Siegfried to shout at. Mrs. Hall suggests getting in someone who knows what they’re doing for the plumbing. Also, she gently pushes Helen to visit her father and sister, Jenny (Imogen Clawsen), for a change of scenery at the family farm Heston Grange.

Up at the farm, the family is anxious to hear news of James, and Helen tells them what she knows — he hasn’t flown a plane yet because he’s still in training with exercises and drills. Her dad is limping from a twisted knee and refuses to visit a doctor, leaving him grumpier than usual, and when Helen asks about her own birth and his memories of her as a baby, he claims he’s forgotten.

Back at Skeldale House, Siegfried is also bidding for the grumpiest man in Darrowby, picking a fight with Richard and refusing to allow him to accompany him on rounds. Mrs. Hall suggests Richard should try standing up to Siegfried. When Helen returns from her visit, she tells Mrs. Hall and Siegfried she’s decided to move back home because of her father’s injury. But as soon as she’s back and trundling a wheelbarrow, her father wants her to sit and rest in a chair in a sunny spot, not do any work. Helen, as we know, wants to keep busy, and eventually, her dad allows her to feed the calf Smokey when Helen is concerned he won’t eat.