'All Creatures Great & Small' Leaves James "Holding the Baby"

All Creatures Great & Small returns just as Audrey Hall finishes her first round as a Blackout Warden under the guidance of Mr. Bosworth. But one household has a light visible; unfortunately, it’s Skeldale House. Siegfried, waiting for Audrey’s return, is roundly scolded by Mr. Bosworth, who takes his job very seriously: “We have to maintain standards; otherwise, we risk panic and loss of morale.” (Siegfried mutters a snarky comment Mr. Bosworth almost hears.) Once Mr. Bosworth has left, Siegfried shares a letter from Tristan, currently in Cairo, where he’s having a terrific time: “A mad whirl of bars, camels, cricket.” 

James wakes to find the house schedule changed in his absence. In the kitchen, Siegfried tests Carmoody for his upcoming exams as Audrey starts the day’s dinner, and Helen heads to her father’s farm, Holton Grange, to help him move his flocks. James hoped they could spend the day together, but he offers to look after the baby. “I’ll never get my wings if I don’t sit in the cockpit,” he explains, prompting Siegfried’s remark that it’s a baby, not a bomber. Helen gives him a quick rundown on nappies (diapers), emphasizing the significance of Wee Jimmie’s crunched-up red face before cycling off.

Siegfried leaves to treat a cow hit by a motorcycle during the night and is amazed to find the damage is superficial, requiring only some stitches. The owner of the cow, Hilda Sudderby (Jennifer Hennessy) tells him the driver was lost in the blackout, and made a turn onto the track to the farm. She was reported to the police by none other than Mr. Bosworth, who warned her she could be fined or taken to court.

Helen’s father, Richard Alderson (Tony Pitts), is alarmed to hear that James is in charge of the baby, although he and her younger sister, Jenny (Imogene Clawson), are pleased he’s home. Jenny introduces her new friend Doris (Caroline Menton) from Leeds, who’s working as a land girl on a neighbor’s farm, and suggests Helen can go home since they have Doris there to help. The two young women stroll off, arm in arm, demonstrating they’ve become very close. However, it’s still a surprise Jenny is seriously considering leaving the farm for Leeds to work with Doris at the Lewis’s department store.

A call comes into Skeldale House from a favorite farmer client, Mr. Dowson (Adrian Hood), and since it’s a small job, James and Richard set off with the baby, failing to notice the bag of vital baby supplies left on the car’s roof. (It falls off as they drive away.) Mr. Dowson says his new calf “kick the bucket;” to their relief, he means literally: the calf is knocking over its bucket rather than drinking the contents. Richard comments that it’s psychological and proposes a vitamin injection as James realizes the diaper bag has disappeared (too late) as Wee Jimmie begins to fuss. 

He and his son are rescued by Mr. Dowson’s daughter, who is on hand to improvise with some tea towels. Astonishingly, Richard’s prediction that in 30 minutes, the calf will drink its milk is correct, and the two veterinarians drive off... this time, it’s not the baby supplies they forget to load into the car. In a panic, they return to the farm and retrieve the baby. 

Siegfried returns home and wanders through the house, looking for Audrey while narrating his latest grievances against Mr. Bosworth. He’s embarrassed to find them both in the dining room, having heard every word while discussing ARP business.

Jenny and Doris decide to go for a ride (clearly, it’s a slow day on the farm), and all goes well until a plane flies low overhead. Candy, ridden by Doris, bolts, and Jenny follows to find Candy lame and Doris guilty and remorseful. Jenny leads the horses back to the farm and sends Doris for help. The plane that frightened Candy was also observed by James, who gazes after it with regret. Audrey sees the plane, too, as she’s out on her bicycle, and as she pauses, she sees and hears a dog in distress, clearly very sick. She rushes to a nearby phone box and calls Siegfried, who concludes the dog, Bingo, has been poisoned. 

The white paint on Bingo’s feet matches the stuff Mr. Bosworth recommended farmers paint white stripes on their cows to keep them safe in the dark. However, Bingo’s symptoms suggest strychnine, not lead poisoning from the paint. As they look him over, Mr. Bosworth arrives to tell Siegfried he can’t park his car on the side of the road, only to see Bingo. All his bluster disappears; Bingo is his dog... or was. Siegfried and Audrey drive Bosworth home, comforting him with tea as he weeps for his best friend. Siegfried assures him the paint on Bingo’s feet wasn’t the culprit but gently suggests dissuading people from painting their cows. 

Siegfried attempts to apologize for his earlier unkind words, but Mr. Bosworth responds that they are just like each other: alone and unloved. However, he announces that he agrees he will no longer tell people to paint their cows. He and Siegfried shake hands. As Siegfried and Audrey drive home, they narrowly miss a wandering cow, visible only by its white stripes.

Doris hasn’t been able to reach anyone at Skeldale House, emerging from a phone box to flag down Richard and James, explaining she’s trying to find a veterinarian. After she and Richard gaze into each other’s eyes for a long moment, they drive to Holton Grange Farm, where Richard examines Candy. She’s an older horse, and possibly it’s time for her to be put out to pasture to enjoy her old age and avoid injuries. It’s an emotional time for Jenny and Helen. Candy was their mother’s horse, and they grew up with her. After Richard has treated the injury, Doris comments that he’s a bit of a hero, which makes him very flustered.

Helen and Jenny climb up to the barn’s roof, a favorite spot for the family. Jenny wants to explain that it wasn’t Doris who clouded her judgment with tales of the big city. It was Helen, who when Jenny left school to work the farm, told her she was missing out on so much. Since then, Jenny has realized that there’s a world outside Darrowby. Helen apologizes for not noticing how much Jenny has grown up. Surprisingly, Jenny isn’t as keen on going to Leeds since Doris has told her she’s better off on the farm, although she intends to visit. But if she does decide to leave to do something different, Helen will support her.

Back home, James admits to Helen that not only did he lose the diaper bag, but he almost lost Jimmy. Helen tells him not to be so hard on himself. The excitement of coming back home, he claims, distracts him. But he doesn’t address his feelings about never being able to fly again or tell her about losing his crew, and like so many of the men of that generation; he may never do so.

Everything is changing with the war, particularly gender roles. Siegfried has baked the pie for dinner (although Mrs. Hall made the pie)! Helen admits she has not taken to motherhood like a duck to water––she saw it as being like a headless chicken and muddling through, and that’s what James is doing now as he tackles fatherhood and the complications of civilian life. Mrs. Hall is in uniform (and looks terrific in it), and Richard sweetly thanks her for keeping them safe.

Just as Siegfried is about to propose a toast to James’s return, Mr. Bosworth bangs on the front door and shouts at them to put out a light. Siegfried is a repeat offender and will be fined £1, which must be paid promptly. It’s quite a relief to see Mr. Bosworth has returned to his usual belligerent self, telling Siegfried that rules are rules, and it’s more than his job is worth to bend them. Siegfried is exasperated, and as he and Mr. Bosworth continue to argue, Audrey proposes a toast to Siegfried and mentions other “things that never change.”

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 Channe. All seven episodes of Season 5 are available now on PBS Passport, and Seasons 1-4 are streaming on most local PBS Passports. Season 6 is already greenlit and expected out in 2026.