The fourth season of All Creatures Great and Small (2020) has been a success again, it is truly a series to enjoy nostalgically in the dark days of autumn or winter. The fourth season of All Creatures Great and Small (2020) was broadcast in the autumn of 2023 by the commercial Channel 5 and shortly afterwards by BBC First. That meant six new regular episodes about the young veterinarian James Herriot (Nicholas Ralph) in the veterinary practice of Siegfried Farnon (Samuel West, Mr Selfridge) in Yorkshire, England. The season naturally ended with an extra seventh (Christmas) episode in December.
The series remains a unique television experience. The makers based their story on the books by Alf Wight and looked askance at the first BBC series from 1978, but chose their own path. In some episodes, the pace is even slower than in the original series and extensive time is taken to outline the characters and introduce various developments.
It is the spring of 1940 and the Second World War is raging in full force. The Christmas episode of the third season showed that both James Herriot and Tristan Farnon had signed up for the army, despite being exempt due to the importance of their work to the food supply. Tristan has already been called up and he will not be seen this season.
It remains to be seen when James will be called up and Siegfried has therefore recruited reinforcements for the practice. They are the finicky Mrs Harbottle (Neve McIntosh, Doctor Who) for the accounts and the know-it-all student James Carmody (James Anthony-Rose, Slow Horses) for the treatment of the animals. Given their characters, the question is whether they will last long with the explosive Siegfried Farnon, who visibly suffers from the absence of his younger brother.
James and Helen (Rachel Shelton, Hollyoaks) are now married and live in the attic above the vet's practice. With the call-up of several young men for the army, farmers are having difficulty taking care of their livestock and lands. Helen and her father also notice this and her concerns about her parental farm are great. Meanwhile, housekeeper Audrey Hall (Anna Madeley, Mr Selfridge) is in the process of divorcing her husband and it seems like her love life is about to get a new start.
The series remains a very beautifully designed whole.
The series remains a very beautifully designed whole. In addition to the beautiful images of the traditional landscape of the English Dales, what is particularly striking is the attention to small details in the sets. Don't expect scenes of operations or work in the sludge and mud on the farms. It all remains pleasant and neat. The Christmas episode is a nice end to the season, although it is only clear that it was recorded in the spring. This fourth season is another success and contains entertaining television with wonderfully recognizable characters and situations. Truly a series to watch and enjoy nostalgically in the dark days of autumn or winter.
About the writer, Karzal
Mike (1995) has been a member of MySeries since 2016 and is mainly active on the English version of the site. Since 2018, he has been actively translating news articles, columns, reviews and basically everything that ends up on the Dutch site. The original articles, columns and reviews were actually written by others. During the week Mike can be found at IKEA, where he is a national systems specialist and occasionally also in the classroom to teach an English lesson. In addition, Mike logically enjoys watching series and has actually been spoon-fed this from an early age. The genre doesn't matter, there is a place for everything in the otherwise busy life.
