Siegfried and Mrs H reunite as All Creatures Great and Small returns to Channel 5

The revival of All Creatures Great and Small on Channel 5 is drawing praise from critics for delivering the familiar rhythms of James Herriot’s Yorkshire world, with a long-awaited reunion between Siegfried and Mrs Hall driving the latest episode’s emotional through-line. A review published in the Daily Mail overnight lauds the series as pitch-perfect, noting that the balance of gentle comedy and quiet drama feels earned rather than contrived.

In the opening scenes, viewers are welcomed back to Skeldale House with the show’s characteristic coastal-fog of nostalgia and domestic bustle. The episode begins with James and Helen tending to a newborn lamb as their children watch, a moment some critics described as syrupy in tone. Yet the warmth of the setting soon gives way to practical worries: the veterinary practice is short on stock and profits, and the staff are stretched thin as Siegfried’s energy seems to have ebbed in the absence of Mrs Hall, who has been staying with her family in Sunderland. The review emphasizes that the core tension comes not from grand gestures but from a very human sense of a practice in need of care and caretaking—both for the animals and for the team that tends to them.

As the episode unfolds, the narrative threads weave together humor and longing. Tristan returns from the war in Italy, looking smart in a captain’s uniform, but Siegfried has forgotten to collect him from the station, a moment that underscores the household’s chaotic charm. Mrs Hall’s return from Sunderland is not simply a reunion but an emotional reset, with a pantry encounter that plays on familiar banter and the characters’ well-worn rhythms. The moment when Mrs Hall emerges from the kitchen and Siegfried discovers her presence becomes a subtle, comic pivot that signals more than just domestic relief; it signals the restoration of a family dynamic that has long been at the heart of the series.

The review highlights a sequence on the station platform that arrives with the cadence of a classic romance. In a quiet, almost Brief Encounter-like beat, Siegfried rushes to intercept Mrs Hall as she is heading back to Sunderland, and the pair share a moment of embrace that the piece describes as the show’s long-awaited tipping point. It is presented not as melodrama but as a tender acknowledgment that time apart has only deepened their connection. The scene is paired with the broader sense that the war’s end has reshaped rather than erased the relationships that define the Skeldale household, and the ensemble responds with a warmth that feels earned and emotionally honest.

For audiences seeking the comforting texture of the series, the review notes that the balance between comedy and drama remains a strength. The humor arises naturally from character quirks and the everyday challenges of running a rural practice, rather than from forced gags. The drama carries its weight in the small choices—how a partner reads a sign of strain in a shared glance, how a patient’s prognosis becomes a family discussion, how the house adapts to the influx of newcomers and returns. In sum, the piece concludes that All Creatures Great and Small continues to deliver what critics and fans have long valued: a sense of place, a steady moral center, and a pace that respects the everyday heroism of those who care for animals and each other.

Reflecting on the show’s broader appeal, the review frames the revival as a nostalgic but not merely reflexive exercise. It leans into the enduring appeal of the Yorkshire setting—the landscape, the rhythms of work, and the intimate, sometimes messy, relationships that anchor the stories. The painterly scenes of the Dales, the old-fashioned work ethic, and the cast’s comfortable chemistry all contribute to a sense of continuity with the series’ earlier seasons while inviting new viewers to share in a familiar, humane project: caring for creatures great and small. The piece also nods to cultural touchstones that have kept the program in public conversation, including the way the show preserves a humane, if occasionally bittersweet, view of rural life.

As the episode closes, the sense is that All Creatures Great and Small remains true to its core: a craftsman’s attention to practical problems, a folk-table of beloved characters, and a quiet optimism that comes from people who care for each other as they care for the animals in their care. The Daily Mail review, dated September 26, 2025, positions the Channel 5 revival as a successful continuation of a beloved tradition, one that can satisfy long-time fans while inviting a new generation into the Skeldale sunlit world. For now, Siegfried and Mrs Hall’s renewed closeness offers a compelling emotional hinge for the season—and for a show that has always measured its worth in acts of care as much as in cures for the animals that populate its pages.