All Creatures' new arrival ruffles feathers – and James is ashamed after unfortunate mistake

Despite offering her services, Jenny told Helen that she should go home and be with James following his unexpected return. With Doris on the scene, they had more than enough hands to get the day's work done.

"I can manage without you," said Jenny, meaning well. But Helen was left feeling like a spare part as she watched her sister and her new friend walk off together, arms wrapped around one another, just like they used to do.

And that sense of losing her sister only intensified when Jenny reluctantly told Helen that she was moving to Leeds, with Doris set to put in a good word for her at a department store.

After raising the issue of air raids, which had hit the city hard, Helen then pushed back against the idea of her working in a shop.

"Chop Jenny in half and it says farmer," she said to her father.

Despite Richard insisting that she had "made her mind up", Helen still wasn't convinced.

"Or Doris has," she added, visibly irritated by her sister's new pal, which later led to another spiky conversation, this time over a horse, and in full view of Doris.

But if All Creatures has taught us anything over the years, it's that opening up to your loved ones rather than holding onto anger and upset is vitally important – for who knows what's around the next corner.

After some mild drama, which saw their mum's horse pick up an injury, the sisters had a big heart to heart and finally made peace.

"Turn my back for five minutes and you're a woman," said an emotional Helen. "Sorry I've not been here to notice."

"You've had a pretty good excuse," responded Jenny, referencing baby Jimmy.

It also became clear that it wasn't Doris who had encouraged Jenny to leave, but Helen herself.

"Doris thinks I'm better off here," she said, explaining that she had only considered a life away from the village after Helen's remarks about her being too young to choose farming, and that the world's bigger than Darrowby.

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"So, this is all down to me," said Helen, before eventually coming around to the idea of Jenny possibly hanging her hat elsewhere.

But they weren't the only ones who were finding it difficult to adapt to change.

James was on dad duty for the first time, which he was clearly daunted by, but the vet felt the fear and did it anyway – only for disaster to strike immediately when he left the baby bag, containing vital supplies including nappies, on top of the car, which then subsequently fell to the ground as he drove off.

Fortunately, a farmer's daughter was able to fashion Jimmy a makeshift diaper out of tea towels when James realised his mistake. But that paled in comparison to what happened next.

After a good day's work, he was driving back to Skeldale House with Carmody when they clocked that they had left the baby behind, much to James's horror.

He was, of course, in good hands, but that didn't stop James from chastising himself for his careless error.

"It wasn't only the bag I forgot about, I left him behind," he admitted to Helen. "It's unforgivable, I know. And I'm so sorry.

"I think I'm just so glad to be here, so desperate to get back to normal, I tried to do too much all at once. I let you both down, terribly."

But Helen assured him that he hadn't, before putting things into some much-needed perspective.

"You'll get used to it, don't be so hard on yourself," she said.

Before season 5 arrived on our screens, Nicholas Ralph discussed how his character's return would be "more challenging than he anticipated".

"James thinks he's going to come back and be super vet, super dad, and juggle both roles seamlessly. But the reality is quite different," he explained.

"Having a little baby and trying to be a vet at the same time, with those two worlds colliding, is much more challenging than he anticipated. That makes for a lot of fun in the episodes.

"I think what’s always been a comfort for James is knowing Helen has a strong support network around her – Siegfried, Mrs Hall, Carmody right there at Skeldale, her dad, and Jenny are close by. But still, it’s a lot of work."

Ralph also discussed how taking on "more fatherly duties" contextualises what it's been like for Helen during James's lengthy absence – and during such a life-changing period for the family.

"As James comes back and reintegrates, he realises more and more the effort Helen has put in over the last few months by herself," Ralph added.

"He really appreciates what she’s done even more once he’s back and sees the reality of juggling everything with a newborn."

All Creatures Great and Small season 5 continues on Thursday 3rd October on Channel 5 and My5. You can order James Herriot's All Creatures Great and Small from Amazon.

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