All Creatures Great and Small: Christmas in the Dales

- [Narrator] "All Creatures Great and Small" has lovingly captivated readers, viewers, and animal lovers for the past half century.

The pages of James Herriot's beloved memoirs of his colorful life as a rural veterinarian in the English countryside transport us back to a simpler time and place, a pastoral setting where the lives of villagers, farmers, and animals are intertwined.

- I'm sorry to drag you all the way up here on Christmas Eve.

- [Narrator] In true British tradition, each season of "All Creatures Great and Small" on MASTERPIECE culminates with a heartwarming Christmas special, and captures the warmth, down-to-earth wit, and generosity of spirit of the Yorkshire Dales and its hardworking residents.

- Merry Christmas, everyone.

- [Group] Merry Christmas!

- [Narrator] Grab a blanket and a cup of hot cocoa as we spend Christmas in the Dales with James, Helen, Siegfried, Tristan, Mrs.

Hall, and all the colorful characters of these stories.

The special holiday episodes that conclude each season are filled with wonder, romance, mischief, and cheer.

We'll explore a behind the scenes look at the magical, unforgettable world of the series' Christmas specials as the cast and creators share their thoughts and stories in this special presentation, "All Creatures Great and Small: Christmas in the Dales."

(upbeat orchestral music) - [Eva] It's Christmas, it's Christmas!

(upbeat orchestral music continues) - Merry Christmas.

- [Melissa] Christmas is such a big deal.

It's a celebration, I think, of the values at the heart of the show.

- [Mrs.

Dobson] Happy Christmas, James.

- Merry Christmas, Mrs.

Dobson.

- [Rachel] Christmas is a great opportunity to perfectly encapsulate all the things that are "All Creatures."

Love, community, togetherness.

I think Christmas is a great time to celebrate that.

- I've got a magic mask and when I put it on, I can be anyone I like.

(slow orchestral music) Do you want to try it on?

(slow orchestral music continues) Now, doesn't that feel better?

- It's a Christmas special, it feels a bit special, you know, you feel warm and fuzzy when you watch it.

(group laughs) - [Tristan] Yes.

- Christmas heightens all of that.

It brings everyone together, it heightens everyone's emotions and relationships, and there's a lot of hijinks at Christmas, as well.

- What's all this bloody mistletoe?

It looks like Kew Gardens.

- Tristan's playing the odds.

- [Melissa] There's always a bit of romance.

It's an important aspect to the Christmas special.

- [Gerald] When does the party start tonight?

- [Mrs.

Hall] Oh, anytime after 7:30.

- Well, I look forward to it.

- See you then.

(crowd noise) - Make sure your lipstick's on and the mistletoe is up.

- We're very fortunate here that it looks and feels lovely.

It's like walking into a traditional Christmas card.

- It was a really magical time for us kids.

Christmas was totally magic.

- [Child] I can see Santa.

- [Nicholas] In Britain, the Christmas Special is something that is quite timeless.

You know, I remember watching them as kids with my parents, and to be a part of that kind of history and that legacy, it's just wonderful.

- Are those presents?

- I think they might be, but I'm not sure there's any here for you.

- [Helen] I'll put them under the tree.

- [Samuel] I've always been particularly proud of the Christmas episodes because they always seem to embody exactly what Christmas is, about a community being together and looking after each other.

- It's only been the three of us at Christmas since Mom died, so we're quite excited, aren't we?

- You'd better wear loose trousers because we have got a hell of a goose in this year.

- [Nicholas] It's about people helping one another, their own community coming together, and the dusting of snow and all that good stuff that we associate with Christmas and that time spent with friends, with family.

- [Siegfried] Trying to make you into someone you're not is a waste of the person you are.

Let's just attempt to enjoy one another's company this year, shall we?

- Sounds delightful.

- [Narrator] At the end of Season One, Helen is scheduled to marry Hugh on December 25th, but that plan is complicated by a litter of Christmas Eve puppies.

- [Tristan] Staying for the wedding, or is it all too heartbreaking?

- I couldn't be happier for Helen and Hugh.

- Don't you just sound it.

- By the end of Season One, he's pretty much brokenhearted after finding out that Helen has just accepted to marry Hugh.

- This time tomorrow, we'll be married.

- [Hugh] I know, and then the rest of our lives.

(kissing noise) (slow orchestral music) - [Rachel] Christmas Day wedding in Darrowby, everybody's out, it's a big deal, and of course Helen feels a bit overwhelmed.

- Everybody wants to talk about the wedding.

I'd just rather talk about anything but.

- [Melissa] It's a gorgeous story from the Herriot books about a sort of Christmas animal emergency up in the High Dales.

- You being called out?

- Going up to the Chapman's.

Susie's having trouble with her pups.

- Do you mind if I come with you?

- [Nicholas] Everything inside him is bursting to go, "Yes, yes, come, come," and he swallows that and says.

- I think you should probably stay and enjoy the party.

- [Helen] Please, James, anything to take me mind off it all.

- [Melissa] Ben Vanstone wanted to get James and Helen, as they do in the books, actually, to a location that is quite a long way away and get them stuck there overnight.

- Come in.

Oh, well.

- Evening.

- Evening, Bert, Anne.

- We were actually filming in January, and the Dales in January are really unforgiving, and we were really isolated in this sort of little cottage in the middle of nowhere, so you kind of felt it a bit.

It felt like it was real, we were really there.

- [Nicholas] It was really small, it was a bit rundown, but it made the whole thing that much more intimate and cozy and that Christmas feel.

- All right, Susie, just going to check how you're doing.

(Susie whines) - [James] Good girl, good girl.

(slow orchestral music) - [Rachel] As actors, you're so invested in it, you know, we read the scripts like fans.

You know, I read the script, I'm like, you know, and Nick and I will text each other and be like, "Have you read that bit yet?

It's really exciting."

- I can feel it coming towards me.

(Susie whines) Oh, she's starting to push.

- Good girl, good girl.

(Susie whines) - Oh, I've got it.

- The interesting bits happened in the bits that weren't dialogue, their standing together, their close proximity, looking after the puppies and sort of really realizing that their missions were aligned, actually.

- Well done.

- You too.

- [Nicholas] It's just a special moment in the journey of those two characters, and almost seems kind of fateful, you know, that they would end up at that place and the fog would come in.

(mysterious music) - I can't drive home in this.

- [Rachel] As the fog fell on the little house where Susie and the puppies were, it was almost like the clarity did, as well, in her life.

- [Nicholas] You don't need so much material things.

It's about the people that you're with.

You have this lovely couple in Anne and Bert.

- [Anne] By rights, Bert should have wanted naught to do with me, but love don't see with the eyes.

It comes from in here.

In the end, there's no fighting it.

- [Nicholas] She can see the connection between James and Helen, even if they're both not willing to admit it at the time.

(slow orchestral music) - She's marrying Hugh tomorrow.

- [Anne] Yet here she is, night before her wedding, up in the High Dales with your sorry looking face.

- [Nicholas] So of course Bert and Anne have gone to bed, and they stay up, and, you know, they have this chat and get to know each other, even a slightly a bit better.

- There's a few things I'd change.

- Like what?

- I might have told you.

- What?

What might you have told me?

- That going up to a farm in the High Dales the night before your wedding was a very bad idea.

(laughs) (slow orchestral music) - [Rachel] It really dawned on her, I think she probably knew in her head that marrying Hugh and doing that wasn't 100% right, but I think in that moment, it fell into her body, you know, and you have that, like, "Oh, right, God, I've really got to do this now."

- You should probably get some rest.

Big day tomorrow.

- G'night, James.

- Good night.

- [Nicholas] Two people realizing that they actually genuinely are interested in one another, and, you know, very much attracted to one another.

(slow oboe music) (slow oboe music crescendoes) (slow orchestral music) - [Narrator] You might want to grab a sausage roll or a piece of cake as we take a look at the food of Christmas.

- Anything I can do to help?

- Hmm, stay out the way and don't touch anything.

- Understood.

- Food has got real currency in our show and world, and at Christmas even more so.

- [Mrs.

Hall] I just hope our Christmas party guests are hungry.

- [Anna] Mrs.

Hall loves to feed everybody, so I think creating those big feasts is an absolute joy for her.

(crowd noise) - How do we feel about Brussels sprouts?

Edward likes them, but you can't not have sprouts.

I'll get a pound.

- I feel honored you even asked.

- [Melissa] It's a wonderful moment for Mrs.

Hall to whip up a feast, and there's a lot of traditional foods that British Christmas would include.

- [Tristan] I had trouble finding red currants.

- You know, they don't sell them at The Drovers.

- How do you know, how do you always know?

- Because I'm a mother we've a sixth sense.

(Tristan laughs) - I think home for Tristan means being very well fed by Mrs.

Hall.

- [Anna] It's quite traditional cooking.

A lot of what's in those spreads is not in living memory, but is sort of, you feel connected to it in some way.

- [Mrs.Hall] Paws off.

- Saving them for someone special?

- We have little nibbles every now and then.

Like, some of this stuff has been cooked and preserved, so you don't go near it, but some of the stuff you can eat.

At the end of the day, we'll come over and, like, pinch little bits.

- [Callum] When the scene is completed, all the cast and crew just descend upon the table, and they're just grabbing bits of whatever they can get their hands on.

- Anything I can do, Mrs.

Hall?

- Well, you can take them sausage rolls through for me, would you, James?

There's a good lad.

- [Anna] The work and effort that goes into that is her expression of love to that family and to everybody, anyone who wants to come.

(laughs) The more the merrier.

- Gerald, you simply have to hear this.

- Diana?

Oh.

- What's so interesting?

- Nutmeg, I put it in the sausage rolls.

Gives them an extra bit of pep.

- Oh, your secret's safe with me.

- It's a really universal idea and universal picture of wonderful food with people gathered around, eating together.

- Let's eat, and don't be naughty.

- [Anna] Whatever brings people to the table together I think is what ultimately makes her happy.

- It's times like this which remind me how grateful I am for everything I have.

Not the practice or the house or the beautiful countryside, or any other thing, (slow orchestral music) it's the people.

(slow orchestral music grows) Infuriating as you all are, I'm rather fond of you, and, well, there's that.

So... Well... Merry bloody Christmas.

- [Group] Merry bloody Christmas!

- [Narrator] As we say cheers to "All Creatures," it wouldn't be a proper celebration without an appearance by Father Christmas at Skeldale House.

- If these kids don't see Father Christmas soon, there'll be murder, so who's it to be?

- [Nicholas] Who's gonna play Santa is always there between the cast, "I wonder who's gonna play Santa this year?"

Siegfried, you look very festive.

- [Tristan] He's St.

Nick.

Every year he hands out oranges to the kids.

- I thought you wore red and white.

- Only since some blasted American drinks company told us so.

The real Father Christmas, St.

Nicholas, wears green and white and so shall I.

- [Thomas] Green and white is sort of how it used to be, and then adapted to be red and white, and gone on from there.

(children gasping) - [Tristan] I'm seeing a lot of evidence of children being naughty and not a whole lot being nice.

- The first Christmas where Tristan dressed up as an elf, well, (laughs) I'll always feel fond of that.

I've got lovely pictures of Cal out by the trailer doing lots of Zoolander in his elf gear.

(laughs) - All right, King Herod's best behaved, he goes first.

- Hello, hold on.

Father Christmas just needs to oil his pipes.

- Being Santa, that's got to be, that's a pretty special moment to don the green and white suit.

- [James] Hello, children.

- Who wants to see Father Christmas?

- [Children] Me!

- Merry Christmas.

- Come on, then.

- Ho, ho, ho.

- Then James did his turn, a valiant effort, I thought.

Ho, ho, ho.

- Hello, Father Christmas.

- Hello.

Have an orange.

- Thank you.

- [James] Merry Christmas.

- Merry Christmas.

- Merry Christmas.

- [Narrator] With all the different Santa hats worn over the years, we asked the cast, who is your favorite Skeldale House Father Christmas?

- How dare you ask?

There is only one original, it's got to be me.

- My favorite Skeldale House Father Christmas, this is so easy for me to answer, is Richard Alderson.

- Richard Alderson.

(laughs) - Richard Alderson as Santa, the grumpiest Santa around.

(group chattering) - [Maggie] Not got many takers this year?

- Father Christmas is lacking his usual charm.

(child cries) - How many more of these buggers do I have to see?

- The scene where he looks entirely displeased to be Father Christmas, and the reaction of that girl did make me laugh out loud.

- [Richard] Well, come in, then.

(Richard sighs) - He was kind of miserable, didn't really want to be there.

The kids are a bit scared of him.

His whole demeanor was really disconcerting for a Santa.

- He looks funny.

- [Richard] Right, are you coming in or not?

- [Helen] Dad, be nice.

- From reading the script, I knew that would be funny, but it was funnier than I even imagined.

- [Nicholas] I was lucky because the camera wasn't on me.

I was, like, holding back tears in my eyes from watching and listening to him being Santa.

I thought it was absolutely brilliant.

- Here.

- Do you not have any sweets?

- [Richard] No, I've got an orange.

- Christmas is strange.

- [Narrator] We broke the news to Sam West that Richard Alderson, who was played by Tony Pitts, was the unanimous winner, but he didn't seem to agree.

- No, I think, accept no substitutes.

All else is imitation.

- [Narrator] Missing loved ones at Christmas is something everyone has experienced, but in the case of Mrs.

Hall at the end of Season One, it's even more emotional and complicated.

She desperately wants to see her son Edward at Christmas, but they've been estranged since she felt obligated to report him to the police for stealing from her former employer.

- [Melissa] This tonal space is truthful, painful, funny, and we don't like to leave an audience in one place for too long.

- [Rachel] Although it's beautiful, Christmas for a lot of people, is also really lonely and can be a reminder of the people that are missing or, you know, things that aren't the same anymore.

- You're allowed to be upset, you know.

- About Edward?

(sighs) No, I'm pleased for him, probably got something much more exciting to do on Christmas Day than hanging around with his mother.

- [Anna] With Edward, she hasn't necessarily handled the situation perfectly.

She knows that and wants to be able to resolve that with him, but she needs to be able to do it with him.

- [Dorothy] No news of Edward?

- [Mrs.

Hall] It said in his letter he'd be here Christmas Eve.

- [Dorothy] After what he put you through, he'd better be groveling on bended knee.

- That's in past, I'm putting all of that behind us.

- Well, just make sure you hide the silverware.

I'm sorry, Aud, once but- - He wants to come, that's enough for me.

(bell rings) That could be him now.

- Her son's made empty promises to come and meet her.

He doesn't come at Christmas.

(phone rings) - Darrowby 2297.

Hello, how can I help?

- Is it Edward?

- Bert Chapman.

(slow orchestral music) - [Anna] Siegfried understands exactly what's going on.

- Still no word from Edward?

(group chattering) - [Samuel] Mrs.

Hall is deeply sad and disappointed that her only son is not home for Christmas and has managed to mask that, which of course Anna does so beautifully, until singing at midnight mass at a particular carol.

Let every heart prepare him room And heaven and nature sing, and heaven and nature sing And heaven, and heaven and nature sing - [Anna] What Ben Vanstone does brilliantly, our lead writer, is find a really simple gesture that spoke more than any words would have done.

- [Samuel] In the middle of midnight mass while we're singing a carol, I just reach across and hold her hand.

He rules the world with truth and grace And makes the nations prove - [Melissa] In this show, the small things are the big things, small moments for our characters are sort of hugely sometimes profound and impactful and emotional, so that's got to be a really special Christmas moment.

- The idea of your friend being able to help you through something difficult, help you keep going, is such a gesture of true friendship and love.

And wonders, wonders of his love - [Anna] To share that moment is quite bonding.

You can just quietly absorb that that moment happened, and I think a lot of people will probably connect with that.

- [Samuel] It's not always purely happy.

People have sadnesses, people have difficulties.

People have absences and things don't go according to plan, but we pull together and we help each other through these times, and whether they're happy or sad.

- [Mrs.

Hall] You took me in, no reference or explanation as to why I left my previous job.

I should have told you before, but I couldn't stand the thought of you disapproving of me.

- Oh, Mrs.

Hall, I don't think I ever could.

Of course I had no real choice about offering you the job.

- What, no one else could put up with you?

- Exactly.

(slow orchestral music) (Mrs.

Hall laughs) - [Narrator] When we return, we'll look at more magical moments, including James's decision to turn his car around on Christmas Day, and the holiday kindness shown to Mrs.

Pumphrey in "All Creatures Great and Small: Christmas in the Dales."

(slow orchestral music) - [Narrator] Welcome back to "All Creatures Great and Small: Christmas in the Dales."

Coming up, we'll look at the playful way mistletoe is incorporated into the show, but first, let's take a look at how making the season finales sometimes feels like Christmas in June.

(birds chirping) (sweeping angelic orchestral music) - [Samuel] Season one shot from September to January, which meant that we did our Christmas episode at Christmas, which was nice and cold.

Now we're doing our Christmas episode in June, (laughs) and we're all boiling.

- Mrs.

Hall, might there be a secret you've been keeping from me?

- I'm sure there are many.

- [Melissa] It's always a very warming experience, both sort of in our hearts and actually with the weather.

Last year, we were filming Christmas inside the house with the fire on, old thick wool, felt dressing gowns, the cast were boiling.

- Are you the real Father Christmas?

Your beard doesn't look real, and I don't think it's very nice to pretend to be someone you're not.

- [Richard] Ah, well, he's a pal of mine and he says it's all right.

- [Nicholas] We film these Christmas specials in June, and a lot of the time, it's roasting hot under the dusting of snow, and I'm in a three piece suit with a jacket and gloves on.

- There's a good witch and a bad witch.

- And a little man who lives behind a curtain.

He's called Oz and he's a wizard.

- Wow.

- The only thing I'd like to do again is the boys tiptoeing across a cold floor without their slippers, because if it really was mid-December in North Yorkshire, they'd do that a lot quicker than they did in mid June when we shot it.

- [Tristan] Merry Christmas, Jim.

- [Anna] You do have the harsh reality of, you've got ice packs shoved down inside your costume (laughs) so that you're not sweating on set.

- [Melissa] It's always a very particular experience, when they have to pretend to be cold outside when it isn't.

- [Helen] Merry Christmas.

- [James] Merry Christmas.

(laughs) - How's Tricki?

- Woke up and tucked straight into a bowl of food.

He's gonna be fine, thanks to you.

- Obviously filming the "All Creatures Great and Small" Christmas Special is a little bit challenging.

There's grass growing everywhere, which there shouldn't be at Christmastime, and there's flowers everywhere, and there's leaves on the trees everywhere.

But they are very clever in the way that they operate, and they also sometimes bring all the white snow effect stuff and scut it around.

- [Thomas] There's definitely limitations to shooting Christmas in summer.

We'll be transforming it with a bit of frost and hopefully a bit of snow if possible.

- I used to sit for hours watching it fall past my window when I was a kid.

- [Narrator] One of the larger locations to transform into Christmastime is Mrs.

Pumphrey's estate, which in real life is named Broughton Hall.

- They put fake snow everywhere, and the Christmas tree invariably droops a little bit.

So if you're watching and the Christmas tree isn't as perky, perhaps as it might be, it's because it's actually filmed in summer.

- She's a little underweight.

The poor girl's exhausted.

- Can I examine him?

- Here you are.

(slow orchestral music) - You feel Christmas-y when you walk onto set.

- [Thomas] It sort of puts a good vibe not only to the sort of crew and cast members, but the art department has a good time doing it.

- [Speaker On Radio] And so to all of you, we send our Christmas greeting.

- [Narrator] At the end of Season One, we experience an important Christmas decision.

James returns after that long night delivering puppies with Helen.

- Thank you.

- Happy Christmas.

- [Narrator] He's tired and upset, and everyone in Skeldale is concerned about James.

- You should get home to be with your mother.

- I was considering staying.

- Don't.

- It's for the best.

Sorry, love.

(slow orchestral music) - [Melissa] Because the Christmas Special is the season finale, we've often built up to quite big moments for our characters.

(bells ringing) (slow orchestral music swells) (slow piano music) - I just remember being so invested in the story, but also understanding the weight of it.

(piano music) - It'll be all right, no matter what.

(piano music) - I had a spot that I found very early before we'd even started filming that I just loved, it was a road that dipped down, and then when we got that turnaround spot in the Christmas special, we thought, "We know the spot."

(slow piano and orchestral music) - It was intense, you know, in that moment, there is a literal crossroads, and he has a decision to make.

(slow orchestral music continues) (piano theme swells) - [Nicholas] I remember even, like, my friends telling me they were there watching it, going, "Turn around, turn around.

(laughs) You've got to turn around!"

- [Gary] I remember watching it with my daughter at home and she went, "Turn 'round."

She's 14, "Turn 'round, James."

(slow orchestral music) (lush string music swells) (piano crescendoes with orchestral music) - [Nicholas] The U-turn in the car, the racing back to the church.

(door rattles) (slow piano music) He thinks he's missed the wedding and it's gone ahead, but it hasn't and he finds her alone there in the church.

- [Rachel] What I love about Helen is she always does what's right and not what's easy, and in that moment, it was a, "Right, well, I know what I've got to do."

- [Helen] I thought you were going home.

- [James] Something inside said I should be here.

- Told you I'd make a fool of meself.

- [Rachel] Backing out of a wedding now is a hugely plucky thing to do, but to do it in 1937, that takes some guts.

- Oh, James, (cries) what have I done?

Hugh didn't deserve this.

(cries) How am I gonna face anyone?

- I really admire that that was her decision because her life would have been easier if she'd have married Hugh Hulton.

That's the truth, and then James comes on the scene andt kind of illuminates another path for her, and she has that really hard decision.

- You didn't do this because you're cruel or unkind.

You did it because you're the opposite of those things.

- I think he's just so happy to be there with her at that moment and be there kind of just for her.

(slow piano music) (slow piano music and orchestral swell) (whimsical flute music) - [Narrator] One way or another, mistletoe in Darrowby finds a way into the Christmas special.

- Hello, is that you over there, Maggie?

- Aye, and I'll be having none of your blather, Tristan Farnon, so either buy something or get a wriggle on.

(group chattering) (donkey brays) Don't know why you're looking at me.

It's you pair that are under it.

- I'll, I'll take the whole lot, every last sprig.

It'll be put to good use tonight, don't you worry.

- [Melissa] If you're standing under the mistletoe with someone, you have to kiss them, so of course that was a very big opportunity for the writers to have some fun with Tristan.

- I blame Tristan entirely for the occurrence of mistletoe (laughs) every year.

- You're incorrigible.

- James, if you are to win at this game of life, you must play many hands.

- [Nicholas] We have those awkward moments when two characters do bump into each other underneath the mistletoe, and for whatever reason maybe can't, shouldn't want to, maybe not (laughs) kiss.

- Night before a wedding, you don't want to wish her bad luck.

- Oh, right, sorry.

Merry Christmas.

- You too.

(slow orchestral music) - [Nicholas] With the mistletoe in the house, it always just leads to opportunities for all the characters.

- That boy just is blooming incorrigible.

- [Anna] I think Mrs.

Hall slightly dreads it, (laughs) at the same time as it's rather lovely and it's part of Christmas tradition.

So I'm sure it's a point of great conflict for her.

- [Tristan] This is the only one, so you know where to say your goodbyes with Gerald.

- [Nicholas] As long as it's up, who knows what could happen?

(laughs) (door opens) (slow orchestral music) - You made it.

- [Gerald] I said I would.

- [Anna] The arrival of Gerald makes Mrs.

Hall think a little bit about a side of herself that she hasn't engaged with in a long time.

(Mrs.

Hall sighs) - Look at that, it's sort of fun... - Audrey, there's really no need to panic.

- [Anna] It's exciting to think that there are new paths ahead that she perhaps hadn't considered before.

There is nothing for me but to love - That were for earlier, the mistletoe.

Bad luck otherwise.

- The doors are open for new adventures.

(laughs) (closing door) (slow orchestral music) (slow orchestral music swells) - [Anna] It's so lovely seeing them finally have that moment 'cause there's so much in the world that feels like it's going wrong, that you almost shed all of that and just go, "What I just want to do is kiss you," (laughs) so she does it, and it's just really gorgeous.

- You came back.

- I picked up the wrong coat.

- Oh.

(slow orchestral music continues) - Well, I'm glad I did.

- [Narrator] "All Creatures" reminds us of many important ideas about life, and one is, you should always call home on Christmas.

- You have a few Christmas cards.

- Oh, this is from Dad.

- Your mom must be upset you're not back for Christmas.

- Well, they've got Uncle Alf and the kids coming over, I'm sure she'll be fine.

- Oh, James, your mother won't be fine, which is why she's got people coming to stay, take her mind off it.

- Being together is a really wonderful, happy thing, but actually the truth of Christmas is, people are missing people.

It sort of exaggerates difficulties within families.

- He wants me to call tomorrow at five.

- Well, that's good, isn't it?

It means you get to speak to your mom.

- Oh, I hope so.

- She's your mother, of course she wants to talk to you on Christmas Day.

- [Nicholas] They made a time to call because they don't have a phone in the house, so they are stuck inside a phone box.

- It's good to hear your voice.

- [Mrs.

Herriot] How are you keeping, are you having a nice time?

- I'm fine, Mom, everything's fine.

How are you getting on?

- [Mrs.

Herriot] Oh, you know, Christmas doesn't change much from one year to the next, but we're happy enough.

- Merry Christmas, son.

- He's in such a great place at that time, he's engaged to this incredible woman that he's madly in love with, and he's found this surrogate family, but at the same time, his family isn't.

- [Mrs.

Herriot] We miss you, love, I know you have to be there, but we still miss you.

(slow orchestral music) - Aye, I miss you, too.

- [Melissa] It's always important to get that balance of love and celebration and community, but also reflecting the truth of that season for a lot of people and the challenges of it.

- [Nicholas] Having not spoken to them for so long, he has that moment where he just wants to thank them, really.

- [James] Mom, I never said thank you.

- For what?

- If it wasn't for you and Dad paying for me to go to college, I wouldn't be here doing the job I love.

- It's the right thing to say out loud, and it's Christmas, and you should say, "If I haven't done before, thank you very much for that."

- I'll always, always be so grateful for everything you did for me.

- Don't be daft, you're our boy.

(slow orchestral music continues) - [Narrator] Nothing captures the spirit of Darrowby more than when we see the kindness of Christmas.

(slow orchestral music) (car noises) - [Roger] Christmas at Broughton is a special time because it's made for those sort of events, so it's a time for happiness, it's the best time.

- This is a big house for one person.

- Yes, it is, which is why I like it when people come to visit me.

- [Narrator] But one Christmas at the end of Season Two, Mrs.

Pumphrey was alone for the holiday.

- [Mrs.

Pumphrey] Oh, look, Tricki, it's Mr.

Farnon.

- Morning, Mrs.

Pumphrey, hello, Tricki.

- [Mrs.

Pumphrey] Please excuse the state of things.

I've sent my staff home.

It's only right people should be with their families at Christmas.

- [Melissa] The truth of Christmas is people are often really lonely and Christmas can be a really challenging and difficult and lonely time for people.

(phone rings) - Pumphrey residence.

- [Narrator] Meanwhile, Helen and James are having the opposite problem.

They don't know which house to go to for Christmas lunch.

- James and Helen have this dilemma of where they're gonna have Christmas, you know, now that they're engaged.

I didn't realize you'd be inviting me to Christmas lunch.

- Where did you think we'd be?

- Skeldale House, Mrs.

Hall's expecting us.

- Certainly at Christmas, let's try and manage the stress levels and keep everybody happy.

I think that's something that's still relevant now.

- [Mrs.

Hall] I hope you told James not to bring anything for lunch tomorrow.

- Actually- - I'm so pleased we're having you for Christmas, and a crowd helps you forget the ones you're missing.

- We're really looking forward to it, aren't we?

- Oh, yes, aye.

- They obviously have the tricky decision of, well, where do we spend it?

- And then James ends up, up visiting Mrs.

Pumphrey, I think a Tricki related issue.

She is just there by herself.

- We couldn't persuade you in for a glass of sherry by the fire?

- I, I would love to, but- - Oh, no, you're expected elsewhere.

That was unfair of me, I shouldn't have asked.

- I'm sorry.

- No, go and be with your family, as it should be.

Merry Christmas.

- Merry Christmas.

- [Nicholas] And then he catches himself and he's like, "No, actually, I'll, yeah, I will come in for a sherry."

- You know what, Mrs.

Pumphrey, why not?

- [Nicholas] And I think that sparks the idea then to rally the troops, and instead of going to either the farm or Skeldale, bring everyone, bring Christmas and fun, laughter, company to Mrs.

Pumphrey's.

(car engine revs) (slow orchestral music) (car doors closing outside) (group chattering) - [Nicholas] Yes, I've got it.

(slow orchestral music) (slow orchestral music swells) - [Samuel] We sort of all end up there, without thinking about it too much.

It just feels like a spontaneous thing, where we go, "Right, let's move the tree, let's move the food."

- [Siegfried] Allow me, Mrs.

Pumphrey, let's get these open, let some Christmas light into the house.

There we are.

- [Mrs.

Pumphrey] Oh, this is too much, having you all here.

- [Rachel] Everybody is together, and we look after Mrs.

Pumphrey, as well, which is beautiful.

- [Callum] We've all just had a blast making it, and I think hopefully if that bleeds across onto the screen, then it'll be a real joy to watch.

- [Melissa] It's about community.

It's about reaching out and bringing people together.

(slow orchestral music) - Here.

- I said to Alexandra Harwood, our composer, "Could you compose a four-handed version of 'Ding Dong Merrily on High' in about 48 hours?"

And she did it in 24.

(upbeat piano music) - When I heard that Sam West was going to play the piano, I was delighted because it gave us a really good excuse to get it tuned.

When the piano was being played in the red drawing room, it's just magical, it made it so special.

E'en so here below Let steeple bells be swungen And E oh, E oh, E oh By priest and people sungen - Rather than being very kind of inward focusing, it's always important that our characters are more outward focusing and looking around them to those who need to be sort of scooped up or brought in for Christmas.

- The onus is about that community and kindness to one another and compassion, not only for the animals, but for one another and for the people.

It ended up being the perfect way to spend Christmas, really.

Hosannah in excelsis (slow orchestral music) - I shall never forget your kindness.

- Merry Christmas, everyone.

- [Group] Merry Christmas!

- [Narrator] When was return, we'll take a look at the always popular Skeldale Christmas party, and we'll also explore some holiday traditions in "All Creatures Great and Small: Christmas in the Dales."

Welcome back to "All Creatures Great and Small: Christmas in the Dales."

Coming up, we'll explore the holiday traditions included in the Christmas specials, but first, let's take a look at the Skeldale Christmas party.

- [Mrs.

Hall] Hello, merry Christmas.

- Merry Christmas.

- [Melissa] Every year, Mrs.

Hall and Siegfried and the house have a party, a kind of community party, really, for their farmer clients and their friends in the village, and that is used as a space to do different things every year.

(hat jingles) - Oh, no, no, absolutely not.

(Siegfried chuckles softly.)

- [Stuart] When I was a child, we used to have the Christmas parties, and they were all on different days around Christmas, and there were all different kids that were going to it.

- All right, King Herod's best behaved, he goes first.

- I'm not Herod, I'm a wise man.

(children laughing) - We do normally transform the interior of Skeldale House into full Christmas.

They'll have the Santa Claus, a bit of the North Pole, and Christmas trees and things like that.

- Come say hello.

- [Samuel] I think at its heart, this story is a celebration of community.

- [Melissa] It's about celebration and community and the veterinary house being really at the heart of that community.

So the Christmas party, you can imagine everyone coming around with a pint of ale.

- Sloe gin, I'd go steady on it.

I hear you don't hold your drink so well.

- From who?

- Anytime you see a call sheet and there's just heaps of actors down, it's always really exciting to get onto set, 'cause, you know, if the green room's full, it's buzzing, you're catching up with people, "What have you been up to?

what have you been up to?"

You bring that atmosphere from the green room onto set.

- I heard there was a party going.

I thought I'd come for it.

- Well, it's more of a gathering, really.

- Well, so long as there's ale, you can call it what you like.

(slow orchestral music) - [Narrator] But when World War II breaks out in Season Three, Mrs.

Hall originally decides to not have the party.

- Slim pickings for Christmas this year.

- We'll manage somehow.

- It wasn't, you know, the big party that we're used to, but we still rallied around when Mrs.

Hall wanted to have the party.

- [James] I didn't think we were having a party this year.

- [Mrs.

Hall] Well, we're not.

It's just a few people coming around for food and drinks, carols around the piano.

- That sounds like a party.

- [Melissa] Mrs.

Hall saying we weren't doing a Christmas party, and then very quickly reversing that idea so that she could invite Gerald.

- Jenny, would you mind taking this to Gerald for me?

And... don't let him leave.

- What'll you have me do, hobble him?

- If that's what it takes.

- [Samuel] Darrowby is a small, diverse place, and I've always thought that the way the Christmas episode reflects that is a real distillation of what Christmas is or can be.

- I've been practicing the whole day to get it right.

- Oh.

(laughs) (slow piano music, The First Noel ) - [Nicholas] It's lovely to see this surrogate family come together, and the wider community and celebrate Christmas.

- Merry Christmas.

(group chattering) - Merry Christmas, Maisie, enjoy your orange.

- Merry Christmas.

- Thank you.

- [Mrs.

Hall] Nighty night, merry Christmas.

- See you later.

- [Narrator] But even though there are fun parties to attend, the season doesn't stop the vets of Skeldale House from helping animals on Christmas.

- Sorry about that, sick animal, occupational hazard.

- [Melissa] Animals don't know it's Christmas.

Animals don't know that it's the holidays, and so there are always those Christmas emergencies.

Jim Wight, who is Alf Wight's son, who's a retired vet himself used to work with his dad.

He has talked about what Christmas was like growing up with his vet as a dad and then when he himself was a vet.

- I got called out from my Christmas dinner to see a scratching dog.

He wanted me to see it straightaway, this person in the town.

The customer's always right, that's what my father used to say.

- Okay, Bert, I'll be up right away.

- The party's only just getting going.

- I'm sorry, but I really can't stay.

- [Narrator] But James isn't the only one called to work on Christmas.

In Season One, Tristan helps a young boy with his donkey.

- What's his name?

- Bob.

- And has Bob been eating something he shouldn't?

(slow orchestral music) - Mistletoe.

(slow orchestral music continues) - Mistletoe.

Well, let's see if we can help him then, shall we?

- [Narrator] Tristan is able to help, and brings peace to Bob's owners on Christmas Eve.

- What have you got to look so happy about?

- Tristan made Bob better.

- Did he?

- I think we all loved and probably wept over dear Tricki being very poorly at the end of the Christmas special in Season Two.

- I'm seeing signs of dehydration.

I'm afraid we'll have to take him in for treatment.

- Oh, dear.

I won't be with my little man for Christmas.

- [Siegfried] Rest assured we'll do everything in our power to have him right and back with you tomorrow.

- Thank you, Mr.

Farnon.

(Tricki panting) You are so kind.

- [Melissa] I think the story really crystallized what dogs mean to their owners, and our characters knew and understood that, and understood quite what was at stake for Mrs.

Pumphrey.

- He may be small, but he fills every room of that house with such love and life.

(laughs) - The stakes are high, and we all know this is Mrs.

Pumphrey's child.

- You must remember I don't have children or grandchildren to lavish gifts on or sneak chocolates to at Christmastime.

- [Melissa] Mrs.

Pumphrey whispering her last goodbyes in Tricki's ear probably had the nation in tears.

- May I?

- Yeah, of course.

(slow orchestral music) (slow orchestral music continues) - Would you mind if I hold his paw?

- I'm sure he would like that.

- Because he's such a big character in the world and for all these people, it means a lot.

- The fate of a character like Tricki as beautifully embodied by somebody as sensitive as Derek.

It matters, and we're pulling for him.

- [Narrator] Thanks to their expertise, Siegfried, James, and Tristan wake up to a Christmas miracle when Tricki Woo feels much better.

- [Tristan] Honey, come and eat.

Yes.

(whimsical orchestral music) Good.

(group chattering) - [James] Merry Christmas, little man.

- Oh, yea, Lord, we greet thee.

(group laughs) - Good morning.

- Get stuck in.

(group laughs) (Tricki chewing loudly) - Well done, well done.

Mrs.

Pumphrey will have her Tricki home for Christmas.

- [Narrator] As much as we love the parties, decorations, and the food, we mostly love all the holiday traditions.

- I don't want Christmas ruined with an unholy argument.

- I thought that was the point of it, that and the silly hats.

- The Christmas crackers are a big British thing, which you would traditionally pull with someone else, and inside is always a paper hat.

- [Siegfried] A hat, who needs a hat?

Here.

(cracker snaps) - Christmas sort of got brought to the UK with, like, through the Germanic element, so our hats and things like that come through that lineage.

(slow orchestral music) - [Narrator] In Season Two, James brings one of his Scottish traditions to Skeldale House, the Cailleach, a wooden carving of Old Woman Winter.

- The wood carving and wood whittling that James does is a Scottish tradition.

- [Helen] What's this?

- [James] It's a Cailleach, Old Woman Winter.

My dad carves one every year.

- What would you do with it?

- We'd burn it Christmas Day.

You've got to keep the fire going all night long for good luck and to ward off evil spirits.

- [Nicholas] It was something I came across.

It wasn't something that my family would do or something, but I'd then spoken to people and they'd go, "Oh, yeah, we'd do that.

That's one of the traditions in our family."

And I've seen people, people have sent me pictures of their whittlings, (laughs) (wisftul orchestral music) It's something that James's dad does in our world, so it's, again, that legacy of James then, "Right, well, I'll do this for my surrogate family."

- Every year we burn a Christmas log to bring prosperity and good luck for the year to come.

- We could all do with a bit of that.

- Thank you.

- He whittles it himself and places it on the fire and recites the Robert Burns poem that he's learned for this moment.

- [James] "For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne.

We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet, for auld lang syne."

(slow music) - [Narrator] In Season Three, a war evacuee named Eva comes to Skeldale House and learns about Christmas.

- It's interesting, kind of thinking back through your family, as well, of the traditions that you still know today, because in some ways, the '30s isn't that long ago.

- [Eva] When do we put the socks out?

- [Jenny] The stockings go up tonight right by the fire so Father Christmas can find them when he goes down the chimney.

- [Mrs.

Hall] We have midnight mass before then, and we all go to the church and sing together.

- [Tristan] And when we get back, we'll put a mince pie and sherry out, and a carrot for the reindeer.

- One of the brilliant things about Skeldale House is that it meets the needs of the characters who live there.

- Have you never been caroling before, Eva?

- I'm Jewish, we have Hanukkah instead.

It goes for eight whole days, you light a candle on the menorah and say a blessing, and you get presents and chocolate coins every day.

- [Mrs.

Hall] That sounds like a lovely thing.

Why don't we do that here, what did you call it?

- Hanukkah.

- We've got the evacuees in Darrowby, so we've got little Eva.

A lot of fun, as well, was learning about different religious traditions.

- [Eva] (in Hebrew) Asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tsivanu l'hadlik ner shel Hannukah.

Now you say "Amen."

- [Group] Amen.

- [Nicholas] So we found out about Judaism and what they do, and she has her first Christmas.

- He's been!

- [Siegfried] Now, Eva, it's traditional in this house to wait until- - [Tristan] Let's forget about tradition this year, shall we?

- [Helen] Oh, what have you got, then?

- [Narrator] Siegfried and Tristan sit down for a serious conversation during the Season Three Christmas party, and this leads to Tristan's Christmas goodbye.

- [Siegfried] This came for you this morning.

You're still in a reserved occupation.

You don't have to go.

- Yes, I do.

- [Callum] As the series progresses, Tristan's thoughts and opinions also progress to a much more mature place.

- I have to go.

I need to go.

- He thinks he needs to go and serve his country and do his country proud.

(slow orchestral music) - [Melissa] In the end of Series Three, we have Tristan saying his goodbyes.

I think there wasn't a dry eye on set.

- [Mrs.

Hall] Make sure you do write to let us know how you're getting on.

- I will.

Take care of my brother for me, won't you?

- Well, as much as he'll allow.

(slow orchestral music continues) - [Nicholas] James is incredibly proud of him for becoming his own man, spreading his wings.

(slow orchestral music continues) (car doors slamming) - Siegfried is always on the lookout for Tristan.

He's always keeping him safe, and he thinks that's what Tristan needs, and Tristan doesn't need that.

He wants to be free to make his own mistakes, like any young man.

- Don't do anything stupid.

Do you hear?

Promise me.

(slow piano music) - And break the habit of a lifetime?

- [Callum] What comes out is finally their true true feelings to each other, which are of course nothing but love.

- I suppose this is it.

Are we huggers now?

- [Siegfried] Yes, we bloody well are.

I'm so damn proud of you.

(slow orchestral music crescendoes) (train whistles) - [Tristan] I've got to go.

- Go, go on, go.

You got your ticket?

- I don't need one.

- What do you mean, you don't need one?

Tristan?

Tristan!

(whistle tweets) (Siegfried laughs) (train chugs) (slow orchestral music continues) (slow orchestral music continues) (slow orchestral music continues) - [Narrator] In the end, what we love most about these specials is all the feelings we get from the Skeldale family at Christmas.

- [Eva narrates] "Dear Mom and Dad, Darrowby is very different from home.

The family I'm staying with are nice.

I'll write again soon.

Lots of love, Eva."

- This series is so much about family and community and warmth and coming together, and the house itself and the Skeldale family are sort of a microcosm of that.

And so the Christmas episode, it's kind of a big celebration, really, of people and character and family.

- [Mrs.

Hall] A little something from all of us.

- Thank you.

(slow orchestral music) (slow orchestral music continues) - [Mrs.

Hall] They're not exactly like Dorothy's magic shoes, but I've done me best.

- [Anna] When Eva gets her ruby slippers on and tries to click them, that did get everybody.

Everybody had a bit of a tear in their eye.

- [Eva] There's no place like home.

(shoes clicking) (group laughs) - They don't work.

Why are you all looking at me?

- [Rachel] Our story highlights those really important things, and Christmas is a time where we feel more of that.

- It's all right to be upset.

You're allowed to miss home.

You're allowed to cry.

- [Eva] You're all so nice.

- But we're not them.

- [Eva] You're allowed to cry, too, even though you're grown up.

(slow orchestral music) - Thank you for reminding me.

- The real skill of Ben Vanstone's writing and our other writers is that he brings you back around from those places that feel difficult and sad to something joyful.

(group laughs) - Yes, good girl, we'll never know who won now.

- [Melissa] No Christmas special would be complete without a proper Christmas dinner and the gathering of that family around the table.

- I'd like to say a few words.

Don't roll your eyes, Tristan.

- I didn't.

- You bloody did, I just saw you.

- And there's always a comedy Christmas toast, as well, often from Siegfried, or Tristan in Season Three's Christmas Special, which was especially moving.

- [Tristan] Christmas is a time for family, those that are here and especially those who are not.

I want to remember them and give thanks to those who filled the hole they left behind, especially my brother, who made a promise to our dying father that he would take care of me.

Lesser men would have thrown in the towel, but he didn't, and I want to thank him for it.

I love you, Siegfried.

So I guess the only thing left to say is merry bloody Christmas.

- [Group] Merry bloody Christmas.

- [Narrator] And of course we toast you for spending this time with us to celebrate "All Creatures Great and Small" on MASTERPIECE.

Thank you for joining us for this look back at the engaging and magical Christmas Specials.

The heartwarming cast, lovable animals, and charming stories from the breathtaking Yorkshire Dales will be back in your homes very soon.

Until next time, this has been "All Creatures Great and Small: Christmas in the Dales."

(upbeat orchestral music)