The Cast on Season 2
The cast of All Creatures Great and Small considers what might be ahead in Season 2, hinting about the Yorkshire Dales in spring and summer, hijinks, cricket, animals…and romance! Find out more, and keep in touch by signing up for the MASTERPIECE Email Newsletter—you’ll be among the first to learn any breaking news about the show, casting, airdates, and more.
- 1.
What can viewers expect in All Creatures Great and Small Season 2?
CALLUM WOODHOUSE: More of the same. More of the same hijinks that they all get up to. For me, the character beat at the end of the Christmas special, where Tristan has spent the entire season lying to Siegfried about about this and about that, and then it ends with Siegfried lying to Tristan about him passing his exams—I just think it’s the most perfect, perfect beat for those two characters. But that can’t be the end of it. There’s probably got to be some serious repercussions for that, and their relationship is going to be shifting and changing and evolving. So I’m really, really excited to see what [screenwriter] Ben [Vanstone] has come up with.
I’ve also been promised that they’re going to dress me in another ridiculous outfit…We’ll see what that’s going to be this year. I think that elf costume has got a bit of a following. But I don’t know if I should be worried…
RACHEL SHENTON: Well, the viewers are going to experience the Dales in the spring and summer, so I imagine there’s going to be lots of spring lambs, baby lambs, feeding lambs with a bottle, all that kind of thing! Also, I think it’s fairly safe to say there’s going to be romance.
ANNA MADELEY: I think we can look forward to a lot more fun. Having had such a hard time with her heartstrings over Edward, I hope life is going to offer Mrs. Hall some fun opportunities.
SAMUEL WEST: I wish I could tell you, but I have absolutely no idea what will happen in Season 2. There might be a cricket match, so Mrs. Hall will be happy.
- 2.
What do you hope for your character in Season 2?
SAMUEL WEST:I want to see Siegfried excited by things. I think that he’s a man of great enthusiasms, and although his form in the series—and I don’t mind this at all—is often to be disapproving about things, he’s also somebody who wants to be a good vet, wants to dive back into life and love, with all the energy that having a young and successful partner in the business has given him. I think he really loves the job. He loves the places, and as he says in the Christmas special, “it’s about the people.” If he comes to a greater appreciation of his luck and his life, then I would really like that. I think he’s a great, great fun character to play.
NICHOLAS RALPH: Well he’s just become partner, which is huge for James. I hope he takes the courage and encouragement of becoming partner, of everything’s that happened in the last few episodes, and takes it in his stride, as I’m sure he will. I think that he’s a lot more comfortable and confident in himself, professionally and personally, and I hope he just keeps building on that. And romantically, I hope he gets to go on a first date with Helen. That would be amazing.
RACHEL SHENTON: What do I hope for Helen? I hope she gets to explore what she really wants, and I hope she gets to be her, and not have to consider so many other voices in what she’s doing—I think by nature, she will. I guess I hope she has a bit more fun, that she can enjoy herself a bit. I think she’s experienced a lot for a young woman, and she’s borne a lot of weight on her shoulders, and I hope she can have a good time, and relax, and think about what she wants.
ANNA MADELEY: I hope her world opens up some more. I think it’s interesting how Mrs. Hall’s managed to establish a new life for herself in this community, and it would be lovely to see that really blossom even further, and see what challenges it would bring. And also, what’s summertime like? We shot Season 1 from September through to January, and we’re going to—fingers crossed—shoot March to July. So we’ve got the opportunity of the spring and summer season, and all that that brings. This is a woman who loves being out and about, and who loves her cricket! So we’ll see what those seasons bring.
CALLUM WOODHOUSE: I think the great thing about Season 1 is that Tristan started as a very lazy character, and just wanted to be boozing all the time and chasing women, whereas James was the complete opposite of that. He was nose-down and really, really work-focused. And I think, by the end of Season 1, they’ve balanced each other out. James has made Tristan more work-focused, and Tristan has made James loosen up a bit and be able to have a good laugh. I’d like to see that continue, really, and see them both continue to have fun, but also crack on when they need to. Episode 6 was personally my favorite of the whole season, where they come together and they solve it themselves, and it’s James and Tristan, and they absolutely smash it and it comes through. I just think was the perfect end for both of those characters. So I’d like to see a continuation of that type of thing.
- 3.
What are you most looking forward to when you start filming Season 2?
RACHEL SHENTON: Just seeing everybody again really. It’s been such a long time. And being up in that lovely fresh Dales air, being around the animals. Ah, it just fills me with so much joy to think about going back. We’re so lucky we get to do it again.
NICHOLAS RALPH: Well, it would just be seeing everyone again and I’ve heard a lot of the crew are coming back as well. Of course, the cast will be back of course and just seeing everyone because it’s been such a fun time doing it. We’re such a great group but also, we haven’t seen each other since we finished now, really. I think I saw Cal once because of everything that’s gone on. So, it would just be such a joy to be back with everyone up in the Dales doing number two.
CALLUM WOODHOUSE: Honestly, seeing them all again. I really genuinely do get on with all those people, so to go a whole year without getting to hang around with them, other than the Zoom things, which have been great…I’ve just missed having a bit of banter with them, and having a meal, and being in a pub with them. I’m obviously excited to get back on set, and continue telling the stories of these characters that I’ve definitely fallen in love with, and hopefully everyone else will. But I’m just so excited to see them all again. I really am.
ANNA MADELEY: Oh gosh, it’s just going to be so lovely to see everybody. I mean, one of the real pleasures of the job was we got on brilliantly as a cast; we all really gelled. Nick and Callum are like brothers on set, it’s hilarious and really sweet. It’ll be wonderful to get back out into the Dales, and to be able to see it at that time of year. And a lot of the same crew are coming back, I think, which is very exciting, and Brian Percival is coming back, which I’m really thrilled about because he’s a wonderful director, very wise and brilliant.
But mostly it’s having all those people, being allowed to be back in the same room with each other. As actors, you play together, it’s what you do, you bounce ideas of each other. So being able to do that again is, yeah, really exciting. It’ll be a breath of fresh air.
SAMUEL WEST: Oh God, seeing everybody. We’ve had a totally distanced year. I saw Anna across an empty foyer when we were dubbing, and we sort of waved to each other. We all zoomed Nick on his birthday in March, but I haven’t seen him in person at all, and I haven’t seen Callum or Rachel. I just think they’re a great bunch of people. And Brian Percival, our lead director, who I adored, will be returning as well. So it will be a proper reunion.
