Watching All Creatures Great and Small evokes the feeling of sinking your tired, worn-out body into a warm bath on a grey and foggy winter’s day, letting the weight of an exhausting week dissolve into perfectly tempered water which smells of freshly cut grass and wild roses. It is like sipping a big cup of cocoa while being wrapped in a fluffy woolen blanket knitted just for you by one of your most favorite people in the world.
The 2020 adaptation of All Creatures is the feel-good show viewers did not know they needed. But there it suddenly was – making us smile, cry, and desperately long for a gentler world, where kindness matters and even the smallest and quietest moments speak volumes.
Community and Chosen Family
There are an infinite number of reasons why All Creatures speaks to viewers of all ages, backgrounds, and identities. This ability cannot be attributed to just one single element of the show. However, what seems to draw people in most is the show’s deep sense of community and its emphasis on the power of the collective. The show awakens a sense of belonging, something many of us lost or never knew to begin with.
At Skeldale House, blood is not what makes a family. Everyone living under Siegfried Farnon’s roof is under his (and Mrs. Hall’s!) care. The bonds between this found family are built on trust and mutual support, not on obligation, confirming once again that love and belonging do not require a biological connection nor a marriage certificate. In a world that has grown increasingly individualistic, the show reminds viewers of something many of us might not even realize we miss: being part of something bigger, to belong.
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| “All God’s Creatures” – ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL, Pictured: Rachel Shenton, Nicholas Ralph, Anna Madeley, Callum Woodhouse and Samuel West © Playground Entertainment, Channel 5 and PBS Masterpiece. All Rights Reserved |
The audience is swept up by the Skeldale family, finding comfort and peace in the way they share not just a home and their work, but also the joys and burdens of life. It is usually the small moments that have the greatest impact: Knowing someone will be there waiting when you get home after a long day delivering lambs out in the Dales, sharing a quiet cup of tea in the drawing room, a supporting hand on the shoulder, listening without judgment. These acts of care are truly the lifeblood and soul of the Skeldale family, driven and inspired to a great extent by the remarkable Mrs. Hall. Officially, she might be referred to as the “housekeeper”, but she is undisputedly the lady of the house and the heart of the show, holding it all together.
The Peace of Simplicity
When comparing the way we live today, in the modern Western world, to life in Darrowby in the 1930s and 1940s, some people might be tempted to call life at Skeldale House “easier.” An adjective that may seem fitting at first glance but is, in fact, entirely misplaced in this context. What most want to express by using this word is not that life for the characters on All Creatures is without hardship, they mean “easy” in the sense that life appears “more straightforward”. Especially during the time of the Second World War, life was determined by sacrifice, scarcity, loss, and pain, even in the peaceful Yorkshire Dales. What does seem true, however, is that there are fewer distractions, that the characters on the show live with a clearer sense of purpose, something that, from today’s perspective, feels like a luxury.
The endless opportunities many of us have today, and our ability to choose between hundreds of professions, places to live, and travel, can be overwhelming. While it is undoubtedly a privilege to have options, especially when so many people around the world still do not, this abundance leaves many of us feeling stuck, unsure what to pursue or where to even start.
There are hundreds of hobbies one could pick from, thousands of books to read, shows to watch, songs to listen to, endless media to consume. It almost feels like we are trapped in the ultimate freedom, which does not feel like freedom at all. Instead, it makes us long for a life similar to that of James Herriot and Siegfried Farnon in Darrowby.
On All Creatures Great and Small, most characters seem genuinely content with their lives and proud of what they have built. There is not often a moment where we see any of them question whether they are on the right path and if what they are doing with their lives has meaning. It almost feels like they organically found their way to exactly where they are meant to be, while so many people today feel lost in an endless forest of possibilities, paralyzed by indecision, unsure of what they truly want or need.
Beyond Skeldale House, the villagers of Darrowby and the hard-working farmers of the Dales, with their many unique personalities, are also an integral part of the show. They continue to call upon the veterinary practice for help whenever their sow has digestive trouble, their bunny’s ear was bitten off, or at times, to end the suffering of a badly injured horse or cow.
They have a deep connection to their land, their animals, and their community. With a clear purpose and role in their familiar lives, they might scowl at you and tell you off for suggesting innovation. They will not sugar-coat anything, nor will they lead you into a false sense of security with fake smiles. However, most of them will show up in moments of need with a basket of food in hand and not expect anything in return.
Their mutual reliance on the land and the unbreakable connection to it stands in stark contrast to the way many of us live today. Only few of us have a place that connects to the generations before us, many do not have a home to return to that is rooted in time and memory.
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| ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL, Pictured: Samuel West, Rachel Shenton, Nicholas Ralph, Anna Madeley and Callum Woodhouse © Playground Entertainment, Channel 5 and PBS Masterpiece. All Rights Reserved |
All Creatures reminds us of the beauty of care, human connection, and the importance of the grounding force of calm, the value of stillness. It is not just a show, it is not just entertainment – it is a refuge, a safe space. It is exactly the escape we need in a chaotic, hectic, and often violent, capitalistic world.
All Creatures is a piece of art that helps us keep going, that makes us smile, and gives us hope. Chapeau to the wonderful, hard-working cast and crew of All Creatures Great and Small, you have created something truly magnificent, something that truly matters!
Season 6 of All Creatures Great and Small will premiere this autumn on the UK‘s Channel 5, with all of its beloved main characters returning and with them the promise of quite a few surprises. While Season 7 has yet to be officially confirmed by the network(s), early signs of pre-production have already caused astute fans to hope for more.
Thanks to K for the help!
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