All Creatures Great and Small season 5 ended with an emotional episode (Image: CHANNEL 5)
The beloved series All Creatures Great and Small is set to return to Channel 5 with a heartwarming Christmas special featuring Nicholas Ralph reprising his role as the much-loved James Herriot. The festive episode is scheduled for broadcast on December 23.
James finds himself juggling the thrill of his son Jimmy’s first birthday and the challenging holiday season alongside his wife, Helen, portrayed by Rachel Shenton. In an exclusive chat with Express.co.uk and other media outlets, Nicholas shared insights about his co-stars ahead of the special airing.
Baby Jimmy is brought to life by twin actors Otto and Sullivan Pearson, about whom Nicholas had nothing but praise. He revealed: “This whole series has been brilliant, during the first couple of episodes it took the babies a week to get used to the set.”
“They recognise you and they are six months old. You’d walk in and say ‘Hi’ and their faces would light up and they would reach out and touch your face because they recognised who you were.”
“It was so sweet and they were so chill once they got used to it.”
Nicholas Ralph stars alongside Rachel Shenton (Image: CHANNEL 5)
He then had to repeat the process with the little twins, who are approximately a year old.
“It took them a few days, me and Rach in particular would spend a lot of time with them to get them used to their surroundings,” he elaborated.
“But once they were embedded in they were great, and because they are a little older they were more expressive so they were even more fun.”
“There are so many little happy accidents and times when they have improvised, like when he dumps his hand in his food,” he reminisces about a scene where Jimmy plunges his hand into his bowl.
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Nicholas Ralph praised his baby co-star (Image: CHANNEL 5)
“It’s so sweet, it takes the realism of the show up another notch, they have been a real treat.”
Nicholas expressed that the festive special offered a moment of introspection for everyone at Skeldale House.
He shared: “Christmas and the whole festive period seem like a time for reflection anyway, and even more so with a newborn.”
“Turning one year old is a milestone for the baby and the parents, and I think it puts people in a reflective mood.
“Even more so with everything that is going on at that time too, back in the 1940s.”