All Creatures Great and Smalls Nicholas Ralph on | UK News

All Creatures Great and Small star Nicholas Ralph has opened up about the “joyful carnage” of filming the Channel 5 show’s upcoming Christmas particular.

The 35-year-old Scottish actor, who performs James Herriot in the household drama, opened up about the new episode in an interview with Radio Times.

While the festive episode of All Creatures Great and Small may need been filmed in July, the star has described how he felt “transported” by the unbelievable decor at Skeldale House.

Ralph also mentioned the conflicting themes of the episode, which takes place in 1945, with everybody feeling the need for the first Christmas after the struggle to be “perfect”. 

“The enormity of it is not just going to go away overnight,” he mirrored. “It’s not all singing and dancing and everything’s merry all of a sudden. 

“So, there is the joy of Christmas, but there’s also the pathos, people are still struggling.”

There is also loads of enjoyable and mischief to be discovered, including the “chaos” that comes with planning a youngsters’s nativity.

“It was joyful carnage,” Ralph admitted. “The director, Andy Hay, just let a camera roll while the kids improvised. 

“Then we put the animals in, and that just added to the chaos. James is on the back foot anyway because he’s said to Helen he’ll take over the writing and directing and producing.

“And when I walked into the room there was absolute chaos going on, so there was no acting required, really.”

Ralph has been a main solid member of All Creatures Great and Small since it first started in 2020. 

He stars alongside Samuel West, who performs fellow veterinary surgeon and Skeldale House proprietor Siegfried Farnon.

Anna Madeley stars as housekeeper Mrs Audrey Hall, while Callum Woodhouse performs Siegfried’s youthful brother Tristan Farnon.

Rachel Shenton stars as farmer’s daughter Helen Herriot, who is Ralph’s on-screen spouse.

All Creatures Great and Small is one of Channel 5’s most widespread reveals, having not too long ago been renewed for a seventh and eighth season.

Commissioning Editor Greg Barnett said: “All Creatures Great and Small is a jewel in 5’s drama crown and continues to delight viewers year after year. Its warmth, humour and heart, set against the beauty of Yorkshire, have made it a firm audience favourite. 

“We’re thrilled to extend its future with two more series, with many new stories still to tell and more unforgettable adventures ahead for our Skeldale family.”

This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine.