All Creatures stars on Tristan's welcome return: 'He means so much to so many people'
"It was a joy having him back."
The return of All Creatures Great and Small is exciting for a number of reasons, but for many, the highlight of season 5 will be Tristan's long-awaited comeback.
Callum Woodhouse's character was absent from season 4 after he was called up to serve in the Royal Army Veterinary Corps in the 2023 Christmas special, which was disappointing for both fans and the show's cast.
"The character James misses Tris, but also we missed Cal on set and hanging out," Nicholas Ralph (James) previously told RadioTimes.com.
Rachel Shenton, who stars as Helen, added: "He's still in the WhatsApp group sending pictures of the dogs [laughs]."
But Tristan is finally set to return to Darrowby in the upcoming episodes.
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"I've said it time and time again that the show missed Tristan, and we missed Callum," said Ralph. "It's just wonderful to have him back and always a treat to work with Callum. Any scenes we have together were brilliant and a lot of fun."
He went on to say that "Tristan, as a character, means so much to so many people within the house, so it was a joy having him back".
"Seeing him interact with Carmody (James Anthony-Rose) is a lot of fun because they are both so different," he added. "And Callum is just a great laugh – a great guy to have around both on and off set. It was a real treat."
Shenton described the character's return as a "joy", in part due to the "mischief" that Tristan brings to the house.
"Helen and Tristan share that sort of cheeky mischief, because neither of them, especially at the moment because he's not practising at the Skeldale, neither of them are employed, so they can always manage to get away with a little bit more or laugh a little bit more," she added.
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Before season 5's renewal was announced, it was unclear if Woodhouse would be back, certainly in the immediate future. But the actor has since said that it was "always the plan" to reprise the role.
"It was really nice to take the time away to do other projects and then come back home to my family, really," he said. "It was slightly daunting in the sense of, 'Is it going to feel weird? Am I going to feel a bit out of the loop?' But my first day back was a full day in The Drovers, which is probably the best place to film Tristan's first scenes back.
"We did the morning and warmed into it, and then coming back after our lunch break it didn't feel like I'd been away at all to be honest.
"I just slotted back in so comfortably and so well and was having all of the same banter and jokes with all of the same cast and crew that's still with us from series one. It was just really lovely."
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Following his work looking after animals in Egypt, he's since been ordered to return to Skeldale, where he'll be "training new recruits who are going to be getting sent out to similar places that he's been in".
As for the rest of the characters, Helen has her hands full with baby Jimmy while James is away at RAF Abingdon, and is also considering her "contribution within the community" as World War II ramps up, Siegfried (Samuel West) is doing his best to keep the surgery ticking along, Mrs Hall (Anna Madeley) takes up a brand new role, and "Carmody is eager to step up".
All Creatures Great and Small seasons 1-4 are available to watch on My5. Season 5 will air on Thursday 19th September at 9pm on Channel 5 and My5. You can order James Herriot's All Creatures Great and Small from Amazon.
If you're looking for something else to watch, visit our TV Guide or take a look at the rest of our Drama coverage. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
