Fresh out of Glasgow Veterinary College, James Herriot follows his dream to become a vet in the magnificent Yorkshire Dales. He soon discovers that treating the animals is as much about treating their owners, and the Dales’ famers are a tough crowd to please. At Skeldale House, James gets to know his newly formed dysfunctional family; his chaotic and erratic boss Siegfried Farnon, Siegfried’s wayward brother Tristan and the shrewd Mrs Hall who is endlessly steering the ship. When local beauty Helen Alderson attracts James’s attention he finds another, more enduring reason to stay in the Dales
Episode Two – Another Farnon?
Just when James is settling into life in the Dales, Siegfried’s younger brother Tristan arrives bringing his own unique brand of chaos to Skeldale House. Recently returned from Edinburgh Veterinary college Tristan announces he’s just passed his final exams. Siegfried is delighted and instructs James to take Tristan on his rounds to put his theory into practice. James obliges but starts to feel threatened by the new arrival when Tristan goes out of his way to impress his brother.
James’s patience starts to wear thin when Tristan helps him treat a cow with milk fever at the Handshaw’s farm. Despite confidence in his own diagnosis, Tristan encourages James to adopt some of the old Dalesmen ways to treat the cow and James ends up making a fool of himself.
James gets one over on Tristan when they visit wealthy widow Mrs Pumphrey and her poorly Pekingese Tricki Woo. The dog takes an instant shine to James who bags himself an invite to the annual Pumphrey party, while Tristan is forced to stay at home. Helen is there and a smitten James plucks up the courage to ask her out, only to discover that she’s already spoken for. James’s night goes from bad to worse when Siegfried discovers he made a rookie mistake with Handshaw’s cow.
Back at Skeldale, Mrs Hall works out that Tristan has been keeping secrets of his own. When the truth finally emerges, Siegfried goes berserk and relations between the brothers hit an all-time low.
Siegfried Farnon (Samuel West) and George Pandhi (Kriss Dosanjh) (Picture: Playground Television (UK) Ltd. / Photographer: Matt Squire) 
Tristan Farnon (Callum Woodhouse) (Picture: Playground Television (UK) Ltd. / Photographer: Ed Miller) 
Mrs Pumphrey (Diana Rigg) and Tricki-Woo (Derek) (Picture: Playground Television (UK) Ltd. / Photographer: Ed Miller) 
James Herriot (Nicholas Ralph) and Helen Alderson (Rachel Shenton) (Picture: Playground Television (UK) Ltd. / Photographer: Ed Miller) 
James Herriot (Nicholas Ralph) and Right: Tristan Farnon (Callum Woodhouse) (Picture: Playground Television (UK) Ltd. / Photographer: Ed Miller) 
Siegfried Farnon (Samuel West), Top Right: Tristan Farnon (Callum Woodhouse), Middle: James Herriot (Nicholas Ralph) and Bottom: Mrs Hall (Anna Madeley) (Picture: Playground Television (UK) Ltd. / Photographer: Matt Squire) 
Mrs Hall (Anna Madeley) (Picture: Playground Television (UK) Ltd. / Photographer: Matt Squire)
All Creatures Great and Small episode 2 airs at 9pm on Tuesday 8th September on Channel 5.
