The prospect of James leaving All Creatures Great and Small is enough to fill fans with dread and things are looking emotional for Nicholas Ralph’s character in the hit drama.
Based on the memoirs of Alf Wright written under his pen-name James Herriot, All Creatures Great and Small has delighted fans for decades and the 2020 reboot of the original 1970s show introduced the characters to a new audience. The show wouldn’t be the same without the romance between James and Helen in All Creatures Great and Small. However, season 4 introduced an obstacle in the path of their happiness as war meant big changes were taking place that affected everyone.
Alongside fans’ fears that they’d see Mrs Hall leaving All Creatures Great and Small, suddenly it looked like James’s time on the show might be drawing to a close too, though it wasn’t all that it seemed.
*Warning: spoilers ahead*
Is James leaving All Creatures Great and Small?
Thankfully, James Herriot didn’t leave All Creatures Great and Small, but he does leave Darrowby in season 4, leading many of us to worry about his actor Nicholas Ralph’s future on the show. As being a vet was a protected profession James and his colleague Siegfried at Skeldale House didn’t have to enter the armed forces to fight when World War II broke out. However, James was determined to do his bit and joined the RAF and was awaiting his call-up papers which arrived in season 4.
This mirrors the life of the real James Herriot AKA Alf Wright who also served in the air force until 1943 when he was discharged as a Leading Aircraftman. Instead of James leaving All Creatures Great and Small for good in season 4, he went to carry out his RAF training which unfortunately meant an emotional farewell with his pregnant wife Helen.
His departure changed things dramatically for Helen, who initially went to stay with her father Richard Alderson before changing her mind in episode 6 of All Creatures Great and Small season 4. In real life Alf Wright’s wife Joan (upon whom Helen is based) moved to her parents’ house until James left the RAF. In the show, Helen told her father that she needed to return to Darrowby where she felt closer to James.
She was determined to be there with their baby when he got back to Skeldale House and was reassured when Mrs Hall confirmed she wasn’t moving to the Lake District with her partner Gerald. Instead, Helen would have her support as she prepared for the arrival of her and James’s baby.
Ultimately, whilst he left Darrowby, we didn't see James leaving All Creatures Great and Small and he remains very much a part of the show. As his real-life counterpart went on to be discharged from the army and reunite with his wife, it’s likely that we can anticipate a similar storyline for James and Helen Herriot, either in seasons 5 or 6, or in further seasons if Channel 5 renews it again.
Who wrote My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose and what does it mean?
As he left Helen and Darrowby behind to do his bit for the war effort and complete his RAF training, James read out My Love is Like a Red Rose. It’s a song written in Scots by Robert Burns that is often published as a poem. Either way it couldn’t be more of a special send-off from James. In My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose the narrator in the work expresses his intense love for another and whilst they acknowledge an upcoming separation, they maintain that their love will endure.
James and Helen’s situation mirrors the storyline of Robert Burns’ work beautifully and whilst the vet will be apart from his wife for an extended period of time, it’s clear that he feels their marriage and love will remain as strong as ever.
Does James Herriot return in All Creatures Great and Small?
Although we know we weren't seeing James leaving All Creatures Great and Small for good in season 4, it was still incredibly emotional to see him return in the 2023 Christmas special. In this episode he was desperately missing Helen and his veterinary training came into good use when the RAF mascot became ill.
Georgie - a bird - needed James’s expertise and care whilst the reality of being at the base whilst Helen was so heavily pregnant hit home. He had a phone call with her and explained that he'd got his RAF wings and was being transferred to Brize Norton to start bomber training. Helen was desperately worried and her plans to see him for Christmas changed as it became clear that she was going to give birth imminently.
Despite applying for leave to see Helen, James’s request was denied and he decided to take matters into his own hands. He was almost back in Darrowby before being found and brought back by his superior officer. Thanks to his skills as a vet, though, James managed to sway FO Woodham to his side. After he helped Georgie to get back in the air, Woodham eventually agreed that James could have two days back in Darrowby with Helen.
In a bittersweet twist Helen had already given birth to their baby boy the night before he arrived home. But in any case there was something incredibly moving about seeing the family reunited and James and Helen’s joy at meeting their son for the first time. Asking what they were going to call him, Helen responded, "I thought we'd name him after his dad," and James looked utterly delighted.
James Herriot’s return in All Creatures Great and Small was a heart-warming moment in the festive episode and it was made all the more poignant as we know James will have to go back to training and then will be flying bomber planes. It’s not clear when James will next be back in Darrowby, but he told Helen, "I'm coming back to you. No matter what they throw at us. I promise you, I will get back to you both."
Since then Channel 5 has renewed All Creatures Great and Small for season 5 and season 6, and so if they follow real life events, James will make it back to Helen unscathed. Alf Wright and his wife Joan went on to have a daughter Rosemary and so who knows whether James and Helen Herriot could end up growing their family in the show’s future.
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