Encore Sundays Dec. 11 and Dec. 18, 2022 from 8 - 11 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 25, 2022 at 8 p.m. on KPBS TV / Seasons 1 -2 are on demand now with KPBS Passport!
News from MASTERPIECE: ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL has been renewed for a third and fourth season! Season 3 will premiere Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023, 9/8c on MASTERPIECE on PBS:
The MASTERPIECE hit series described as “charming… ravishing (and) transportive” by the New York Times, ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL returns for Season 2 with heartwarming and humorous stories based on James Herriot’s beloved bestselling novels about a young vet and his surrogate family in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales of the 1930s. With an acclaimed ensemble cast headed by Nicholas Ralph as James Herriot, the seven new episodes will air on MASTERPIECE on PBS.
The premiere season of ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL was one of PBS’s biggest hits of 2021, delighting television viewers exhausted by lockdown and ongoing political crises. Critics were equally enthralled by the show, with Vogue rhapsodizing “A visit to the fields, farms, and pubs of the faraway English countryside feels … like just what the doctor ordered,” while New York Magazine proclaimed, “every tiny piece of it is absolutely perfect.” “People helping animals, people quietly falling in love, people romping through the green dales, people valuing honor … it’s all lovely and comforting,” concurred the Boston Globe.
Ralph ("The Most Reluctant Convert") returns as James Herriot, a young vet from Scotland who moves to Yorkshire to take a job in a local veterinary practice in the farming town of Darrowby. The cast also features Samuel West ("Howards End") as James’s charismatic but eccentric boss, Siegfried Farnon; Callum Woodhouse (THE DURRELLS IN CORFU) as Siegfried’s womanizing and carefree younger brother, Tristan; Anna Madeley (PATRICK MELROSE) as Mrs. Hall the wise and compassionate housekeeper who becomes a surrogate mother to the three men in her charge; and Rachel Shenton (Academy Award®- winner, "The Silent Child") as the independent-minded and alluring farmer Helen Alderson who becomes the focus of James’ attention.
Matthew Lewis ("Harry Potter," HAPPY VALLEY) also returns as Helen’s former fiancé, Hugh Hulton. Patricia Hodge (A VERY ENGLISH SCANDAL) joins the cast as Mrs. Pumphrey, owner of the overly indulged Pekingese Tricki-Woo. The role of the doting dog-owner was played by the late Dame Diana Rigg in season one. It was Dame Diana’s last on-screen role in a career spanning more than sixty years, before her death in September 2020.
The climax of season one saw Helen call off her impending wedding to wealthy landowner Hugh, having developed a close friendship with James over the course of the first season. After working hard to become accepted by the local farmers and prove himself indispensable, Siegfried made James a senior vet in the Skeldale House veterinary practice. Following years of half-hearted effort, Tristan believed he had finally passed his veterinary exams. Siegfried, however, learned that Tristan failed once again, but didn’t have the heart to tell him.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Hall was heartbroken when she was unable to reconnect with her estranged son. As season two opens, James returns from Glasgow where he has been visiting his parents for Easter. While there he is offered a job at a modern local veterinary practice and must decide between staying home in Glasgow with his elderly parents or returning to his new life in Yorkshire.
EPISODE GUIDE:
Episode 1: “Where The Heart Is” Sunday, Dec.11 at 8 p.m. on KPBS TV - James and Helen test the waters of their relationship as James ponders a new job prospect. Tristan dives into his vet practice a bit too confidently.
Episode 2: “Semper Progrediens” Sunday, Dec. 11 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV - Hopeful of a closer relationship with Helen, James invites her to the gala spring dance. Siegfried also tries his luck with romance.
Episode 3: “We Can But Hope” Sunday, Dec. 11 at 10 p.m. on KPBS TV - Medical advice clashes with farming wisdom as James and Helen have their first quarrel. Mrs. Pumphrey's dog gets Tristan in trouble.
Episode 4: “Many Happy Returns” Sunday, Dec. 18 at 8 p.m. on KPBS TV - Tristan works out how to make clients happy but then gets bad news. James and Helen have a heart-to-heart.
Episode 5: “The Last Man In” Sunday, Dec. 18 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV - James has to settle old scores both on and off the playing field when a familiar face returns to Darrowby, while Tristan and Siegfried must acknowledge their differences.
Episode 6: “Home Truths” Sunday, Dec.18 at 10 p.m. on KPBS TV - James solves both medical and romantic emergencies. Siegfried, Tristan and Mrs. Hall face hurdles.
Episode 7: “The Perfect Christmas” Sunday, Dec. 25, 2022 at 8 p.m. on KPBS TV - James and Helen question their future together in the run up to Christmas Day, while things look grave for one of Darrowby’s most beloved animals.
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MASTERPIECE STUDIO PODCAST:
As The New Mrs. Pumphrey, Patricia Hodge Feels Just As Familiar
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Credits:
A Playground production for MASTERPIECE and Channel 5 in association with All3Media and Screen Yorkshire. The Executive Producers are Colin Callender and Melissa Gallant for Playground (Golden Globe® and BAFTA-winning WOLF HALL, LITTLE WOMEN), Ben Vanstone, Caroline Cooper Charles for Screen Yorkshire, Rebecca Eaton and Susanne Simpson for MASTERPIECE, which is presented on PBS by WGBH Boston and Louise Pedersen for All3Media International. The producer is James Dean. The lead writer is Ben Vanstone. The lead director is Brian Percival, with Sasha Ransome and Andy Hay also directing episodes.
