The All Creatures Great and Small Christmas special 2022 promises to be a Christmas TV highlight and we now know when it's on and we have a trailer too.
This will be the third festive special for the hugely popular Channel 5 drama, but it will be the first to be overshadowed by World War Two.
Speaking about the Christmas special, star Nicholas Ralph, who plays James, says: "The onus is on family and there are a lot of firsts, which is sweet. For James and Helen, it's their first Christmas and also it's the first Christmas for everyone under these wartime circumstances.
"But there is that wonderful Christmas spirit. My friends say All Creatures is like getting a hug in a television show! Hopefully this year we can bring that uplifting, hopeful, warm, funny but also touching drama that makes people feel good."
The festive special will see James and Tristan debating whether they should go to war. Nicholas adds: "They are thinking about what they should or shouldn't do. Christmas is about everyone getting together, having celebrations with lots of food, drink and bonhomie, but with the war, there are various things that go against that and we see the characters under duress…"
Here's everything we know…
All Creatures Great and Small Christmas special 2022 release date
The All Creatures Great and Small Christmas 2022 special will air on Channel 5 on Friday, December 23 at 9pm. You can also watch it via My5.
Meanwhile, American fans are likely to have a bit of a wait before it finally arrives on PBS.
What's the Christmas plot?
Now that World War Two has broken out, a Jewish evacuee, Eva (Ella Bernstein), is staying at Skeldale House and everyone wants to make her first experience of the festive season magical.
James and Tristan (Callum Woodhouse) remain torn over whether they should be heading off to war, however, which leaves their loved ones anxious. But when Siegfried (Samuel West) is called out to local landowner Major Sebright Saunders (Michael Maloney) again to ensure that his injured horse River is fit before a big race, the head vet faces a terrible dilemma, leading to a clash with brother Tristan.
"Within the very complicated situation Siegfried is in, he thinks his biggest challenge is going to come from Sebright Saunders. But it turns out that Tristan is just as big a hurdle for him…," explains Samuel West, who plays Siegfried.
Meanwhile, as housekeeper Mrs Hall (Anna Madeley) lays on an impromptu Christmas party and faces some big decisions after her friend Gerald (Will Thorp) shares some shocking news, James helps wealthy client Mrs Pumphrey (Patricia Hodge), who is worried about an exhausted stray cat and its gorgeous kitten.
It will all set up All Creatures Great and Small season 4 which is on its way in 2023.
All Creatures Great and Small Christmas special 2022 cast
All the main cast will be back. James (Nicholas Ralph) and Helen (Rachel Shenton) will be enjoying their first Christmas together as a married couple.
There will be Christmas banter between Tristan Farnon (Callum Woodhouse) and his older brother Siegfried Farnon (Samuel West).
Plus Mrs Hall (Anna Madeley) returns. While Miranda star Patricia Hodge continues as eccentric dog owner Mrs Pumphrey — the role played in the first series by the late Diana Rigg.
Is there a trailer?
Yes, one has finally landed and it looks an emotional episode...
