- Season 6 of All Creatures Great & Small opens with a time jump to May 1945, near the end of WWII.
- James and Helen Herriot are settled and have added a new baby; little Jimmy is now helping at the practice.
- Dr. Siegfried Farnon is struggling emotionally and the practice is suffering; Tristan returns to help.
- The season premieres January 11 on PBS.
What to know
All Creatures Great & Small returns January 11 on PBS for its sixth season. The new episodes pick up three years after the last Christmas special, moving the story to May 1945 as World War II draws to a close. The shift brings a mix of relief and lingering trauma for the residents of the Yorkshire Dales.
Where Season 5 left off
Season 5 closed on a note of relief after heartbreak. Audrey Hall’s son, Edward, was first believed lost at sea but later confirmed alive, though injured. James Herriot’s military service ended when brucellosis forced his discharge; he returned home to Helen, and the couple began facing James’s wartime trauma together.
The time jump and the Herriot family
Season 6 moves the timeline forward three years. Baby Jimmy is now four and a half, and the Herriots have expanded their family with a daughter, Rosie. James (Nicholas Ralph) has grown into a partner at the veterinary practice and is busier than ever.
“James is pretty busy as a vet now because he’s a partner in the practice,” says Rachel Shenton (Helen). The show also highlights the small, warm moments that define the series — including young Jimmy’s delight in helping his father at the clinic.
Watch the preview (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmhjfMdtxL4
Siegfried’s decline and Tristan’s return
One of the season’s central storylines focuses on Dr. Siegfried Farnon (Samuel West). Siegfried has become more erratic and emotionally fragile, struggling to keep the practice running. In early scenes he lets the clinic slip and even forgets to charge clients, signaling deeper problems.
Siegfried’s brother Tristan (Callum Woodhouse) returns from the front to support him. Their reunion adds both tension and tenderness — Tristan’s presence may be the stabilizing force Siegfried needs as he confronts whatever has unsettled him.
A return to the show’s roots
With the war winding down, the series leans back into its core themes: community, animals, and quiet acts of kindness. Cast members note that Season 6 aims to recenter on people caring for animals and one another, while still acknowledging the emotional cost the war has left behind.
At the heart of the show remains the Herriot family and the small-town connections that make Darrowby feel like home. Expect new patients, domestic warmth, and the gentle storytelling fans have come to love — plus the darker, more complicated work of healing after wartime loss.
All Creatures Great & Small, Season 6 premieres January 11 on PBS.
Image Referance: https://www.tvinsider.com/1236877/all-creatures-great-and-small-season-6-where-left-off/
