'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.