Triumphs Tucked Inside Everyday Moments

Read Time:6 Minute, 15 Second

TV SERIES REVIEW
All Creatures Great and Small: Series 6
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Genre: Period Drama, Comedy
Year Released: 2025
Runtime: 6 x 45m episodes
Writer(s): Ben Vanstone, with contributing writers
Cast: Nicholas Ralph, Samuel West, Rachel Shenton, Anna Madeley, Callum Woodhouse, Imogen Clawson, Tony Pitts, Patricia Hodge, James Anthony-Rose
Where to Watch: available now on digital and DVD

RAVING REVIEW: ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL enters its sixth season with the confidence of a series that knows exactly what it represents: a calm breath in an increasingly chaotic world. What makes this chapter particularly compelling is the way it folds lingering wartime tension into the daily rhythms of life in the Yorkshire Dales. There is no attempt to turn the series into a sweeping historical epic. Instead, it remains grounded in the homes, farms, surgeries, losses, and repairs that shape its characters’ lives. That restraint is part of why the show continues to work as well as it does. This season understands that healing rarely arrives all at once; it emerges in pieces, often through quiet moments rather than dramatic revelations.

The aftermath of war reaches every corner of Skeldale House. James Herriot returns home still carrying the weight of service, balancing exhaustion with the renewed demands of his veterinary rounds and the responsibilities of raising a young family. Nicholas Ralph plays him with a subtle shift: he’s still gentle, still principled, but there’s a new internal tension, a weariness that doesn’t dominate his performance but adds contours to it. Helen feels this shift too. Rachel Shenton plays her with a kind of warm pragmatism, offering patience without pretending she has all the answers. Their scenes work best when the script leans into the unspoken adjustments required after years of distance and uncertainty.

Siegfried grapples with a different kind of battle. His erratic behavior becomes an emotional anchor for the season, showing how someone who prides himself on order, precision, and leadership can fracture under pressure. Samuel West’s performance is one of the show’s standout elements; he gives Siegfried a rawness that never feels forced. His temper, anxiety, and defensiveness become a window into the often invisible emotional toll placed on those who tried to maintain stability on the home front. The series doesn’t simplify his struggle or rush to resolve it. Instead, it respects the complexity of a man trying to reassemble himself while still leading a household and caring for a community that relies on him.

Tristan’s return introduces another layer. Callum Woodhouse brings a steadiness this time around, a notable shift from the carefree energy that once defined Tristan’s place in the series. His experiences have matured him, but not in a way that erases his warmth. His attempt to support Siegfried creates one of the season’s strongest emotional threads. Their relationship, long marked by affectionate bickering, becomes something deeper—two brothers trying to relearn each other after the world pulled them in different directions. The show is at its best when exploring this type of change: subtle, human, believable.

Mrs. Hall remains the quiet heart of Skeldale House. Anna Madeley once again delivers a performance built on nuance—a raised eyebrow, a long pause, a fleeting moment of reflection. Her story this season feels more introspective, circling questions of purpose and the effort required to keep a fractured household functioning. Her leave to visit Sunderland is not a dramatic plot point, yet it becomes an emotional pivot for the characters who depend on her. The absence, brief as it is, forces them to examine the comfort she provides and the gaps she fills without asking for acknowledgment.

The addition of Richard Carmody continues to serve the show well. James Anthony-Rose gives Richard a blend of academic confidence and social awkwardness that plays naturally in the Skeldale dynamic. His position as both pupil and disruptor refreshes the ensemble without overshadowing longtime characters. Richard’s uncertainty, particularly regarding Siegfried’s expectations, becomes a gentle source of humor and charm, underscoring the series's values of humility and earnestness over spectacle.

Across these six episodes, the show leans into storylines that reflect a world gradually piecing itself back together. Calving crises, dog track mishaps, strained family ties, missing animals, and unexpected joys all weave together into a portrait of postwar recovery. What stands out most is how the series treats these narrative threads with dignity, even when they’re small. That has always been its strength: the recognition that lives are shaped less by sweeping events and more by constant, ordinary labor—acts of care, loyalty, and resilience.

This season also allows the supporting cast to shine. Jenny’s storyline, involving a significant personal decision, becomes one of the more touching arcs. Her doubts and hopes reflect the universal uncertainty of stepping into adulthood while the world around you shifts. Moments with the Aldersons continue to add texture, showing how family responsibility and rural tradition intersect with generational change.

Visually, the series remains rich without feeling ornamental. The Yorkshire countryside is still captured with the same appreciation for natural texture and honest beauty. The cinematography favors open air and lived-in spaces, maintaining the grounded tone that defines the show. Costuming and production design continue to excel, not as decorative flourishes but as integral pieces of world-building.

If there is one critique, it’s the same one you’ve noted before: the series can occasionally feel compressed by the limits of a six-episode structure. Certain emotional shifts, particularly in James and Helen’s relationship, would benefit from more breathing room. Yet even with this constraint, the craftsmanship remains high enough that the stories still feel complete.

ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL – SERIES 6 succeeds because it trusts its audience. It doesn’t chase spectacle or reinvention. It leans into warmth, character, companionship, and change. It honors grief without being defined by it and celebrates joy without becoming sentimental. This season reaffirms why the series has become one of the most comforting watches on television: it recognizes that resilience isn’t loud. It’s found in returning home, choosing connection, and continuing to care for one another, even when the world feels unsteady.

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