'All Creatures Great & Small' Season 5 Opens with a Tribute "To All Our Boys"

The Season 5 premiere of All Creatures Great & Small delves into the everyday life of wartime Darrowby in 1941. For the inhabitants of Skeldale House, who always seem to be busy, life has become more complicated, with rationing and wartime restrictions, plus the underlying worry about loved ones far from home and in danger: James Herriot (Nicholas Ralph) in training as a pilot in Devon, Tristan Farnon (Callum Woodhouse) stationed abroad with the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, and housekeeper Audrey Hall’s (Anna Madeley) son Edward serving with the Royal Navy.

Demands are being made on people at home to help with the war effort, and Audrey and Helen visit the ARP (Air Raid Precautions)  headquarters in town, run by the fussy and officious Mr. Bosworth (Jeremy Swift). It’s also the headquarters of the Women’s Institute, busy with its war work, and there’s some friction there, even with the calming authority of Mrs. Pumphrey (Patricia Hodge). She’s about to move out of her mansion, which has been requisitioned as a hospital, but is quite optimistic about moving into a cottage on the grounds. 

In Devon, James and his crew have just landed from a practice run, and he’s delighted to receive a letter from Helen with a recent picture of Jimmy. While still missing his family, James loves flying and enjoys camaraderie with his crew. He’s no longer regarded as the “old man” but as their Skipper, and they’ve become close, particularly with his navigator Banerjee (Samir Mahat), who fears failing, and crew member Hibbert (Luke Hammond). Banerjee is a worrier, and James tells him about his “first flight” as a veterinarian. But Wing Commander Whitely (Simon Paisley Day) has some sobering news for the airmen. Their training is to be expedited with a long-distance overnight flight to Scotland, where they may encounter enemy planes returning home.

There’s a new addition to the canine flock at Skeldale House, where Richard Carmody (James Anthony-Rose) has adopted Hamish and is teaching him tricks. We also see the astonishing sight of Siegfried (Samuel West) cooing over Wee Jimmy. But Siegfried has received a letter summoning him to a North Riding Veterinary Society meeting the following day. Attendance was mandatory, and he had no choice but to put Richard in charge. Richard is thrilled to try out his ideas. 

At first, Siegfried is skeptical but is impressed by Richard’s triage form, which streamlines visits and shares patient information. And then, the equilibrium is upset by Dot Fawcett’s cat, Frisk. Dot had a hysterectomy, and is recovering well when Helen visits her. But the next day, Frisk is brought to the Skeldale House Clinic in a box, and Dot is distressed not only that her beloved cat has died, but she isn’t fit enough to bury him herself. Richard offers to send him to the knacker’s yard. But Frisk uses one of his nine lives and leaves the box to nap on one of Skeldale’s comfy chairs. Siegfried is furious about Richard’s mistake.

Helen receives a call from James, who never got to fly over Scotland but collapsed just before boarding the plane. He has woken in the sick bay, disoriented and ill with brucellosis, to which he was exposed last season. The condition isn’t contagious, but James is not well and can expect to experience fever or delirium. But the worst news is that he is not fit to fly and never will be, and another crew member will lead the delayed training flight over Scotland. He’s assigned to digging ditches for a bad-tempered farmer. He learns that the Luftwaffe shot down his crew over the North Sea, with only Banerjee surviving, but seriously injured. James approaches Wing Commander Whitely to argue his case, who tells him: “Every time I send a man up, I know the odds.”

James phones Helen, who is upset that he’s sick, and points out that since veterinary work is a reserved occupation, he should be sent home. James intervenes when the grumpy farmer is dealing with a difficult calving and earns his thanks and respect when the calf is born unharmed. In a surprise turnabout, Whitely discharges him, and he’s free to return home.

Audrey has been thinking seriously about doing more war work. She served in the Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS) in World War I and wants to put her experience to use as a Blackout Warden (ensuring all houses have blackout curtains in place). However, Mr. Bosworth only wants male volunteers because he thinks it’s dangerous for women to be out in the dark. Mrs. Pumphrey backs her up, explaining Audrey is trained and more than qualified, and he grudgingly relents.

While working on the Victory Garden, Helen visits Dot Fawcett and finds Frisk is up to his resurrection tricks again. Helen detects a faint heartbeat, and they rush him to Skeldale House, where he continues to recover. But why is this happening? Richard gets to the cause of the mysterious ailment. Dot has been prescribed a narcotic, which she takes at bedtime, and Frisk has been licking the spoon she used to stir her medication into her cup of tea. Frisk’s career as a junkie is over, and Siegfried praises Richard for figuring the puzzle out.

James is elated to return home and finds Wee Jimmy in his pram in the kitchen, Mrs. Hall in uniform, and Siegfried, Richard, and Helen there to greet him. At bedtime, the Herriot family snuggles up together. Welcome home!

All Creatures Great & Small Season 5 will stream/air weekly through mid-February (check your local listings) on most PBS stations, the PBS app, and the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel. All seven episodes of Season 5 are available now on PBS Passport, and Seasons 1-4 are streaming for members. Season 6 is already greenlit and expected out in 2026.