Yorkshire veterinarian James Herriot (Christopher Timothy) nears his second decade ministering to the animals of Darrowby as All Creatures Great & Small enters its sixth season. Motivating several of this year's plotlines is the on-again, off-again romance between James' young assistant Calum (John McGlynn) and his fiancée Deirdre (Andrea Gibb). This, of course, does not mean that the enduring marriage between James and his wife Helen (Lynda Bellingham) is ignored by the scriptwriters. Although we have now reached the '50s, James' crusty senior partner Siegfried Farnon (
Robert Hardy) continues to have difficulty convincing the locals to abandon their traditional medical beliefs in favor of lab-tested modern methods. Siegfried also exhibits his rarely exposed human side when he attempts to heal old emotional wounds amongst those countrymen and countrywomen who can't seem to get along. And, of course, some other things never change -- notably wealthy Mrs. Pumphrey (
Margaretta Scott), who clearly continues to regard dogs as nobler animals than any other...including humans. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide