Callum Woodhouse, who plays Tristan Farnon in Channel 5's beloved series All Creatures Great and Small, has described filming the upcoming Christmas special as a 'nightmare' due to the sweltering weather. The actor revealed that despite the festive setting, temperatures reached 25 degrees Celsius, making it difficult to appear cold while wearing heavy winter costumes.
The Christmas special, set in 1945 during the first peacetime Christmas after the war, sees James Herriot taking charge of the Darrowby Nativity play while his wife Helen is unwell. Meanwhile, Tristan forgets to procure a Christmas tree and embarks on a mission with Charlotte to rectify his mistake, leading to a heartfelt conversation about their emotions.
Woodhouse explained: 'Tristan has made some promises and then forgets about them, so he's in a bit of a flap trying to sort everything out. That's where Charlotte comes in – they go on a little bit of a mission to get everything back on track. It was absolutely boiling. It's always a nightmare because you have to make it look like it's cold when you're in a big coat and scarf and it's 25 degrees. Those are my least favourite days.'
Rachel Shenton, who portrays Helen Herriot, added that her character spends much of the episode in bed unwell, while James steps up to handle Christmas preparations. She noted: 'It shows how strong they are as a couple. She's stressing about all the things she's meant to be doing – icing Jimmy's birthday cake, wrapping presents – and James just tells her to rest and takes care of everything.'
The special also features a nativity scene with children and animals, which Shenton described as 'great fun' and 'all the chaos you want from a nativity and a Christmas special.'
In addition to the Christmas special, a behind-the-scenes programme titled All Creatures Great and Small Behind the Magic will air on Christmas Eve, hosted by Graeme Hall. It will explore the making of the series, including the studio set and the Yorkshire Dales locations, and reveal secrets such as what is in the medicine bottles and how animal scenes are filmed.
