Series 7 of All Creatures Great and Small airs weekly on 5 and Series 1 – 6 can be streamed now.
Where do we find Helen at the start of Series 7, and what can viewers expect from her this time around?
We find Helen in the Big Smoke this series. She goes to London with James, who has a speaking engagement at The Royal Veterinary College, and while she’s there, of course, she goes to see Jenny, who, in her nurse’s uniform has grown into a confident, mature sibling. There are gorgeous moments when Helen looks at her and takes it all in as Jenny says things, because she’s so much her own woman now.
We’re in 1946, on the precipice of a new era. Although rationing is still very much there, there’s a sense of unity and hope at the start of this series.
This is the first series in a little while without the backdrop of war. Does life feel a little lighter for everyone in Darrowby now?
Without a doubt. We’ve got a full house again. Tristan’s home, James is home and some of the farm boys are home. That said, you can’t help but feel the absence of some people, and we’ve definitely got a lovely story involving Maggie that will lean into that. Of course, we’re still on rations, so the kids still have their sweet vouchers, but it’s nice that it’s in the background.
More than anything, you feel the togetherness because, quite literally, everyone is together again. You probably dare to plan in a way you haven’t before and dare to look forward. There’s much more about unity, sticking together through these times and helping people out in a different way. If you’ve got a little bit more than your neighbour, maybe you’ll share what you’ve got. It’s lovely.
Helen is spending a lot more time at Heston Grange with Jenny being in London, and she’s making some changes. How is she finding life back on the farm? Has Richard become any more welcoming to change?
I think she’s always had one foot in Heston Grange. Helen’s biggest internal tussle, when she had the children and was at Skeldale, was that there was only one of her but she wanted to be in two places. That sense of splitting yourself is still relevant today. Certainly, since Jenny went away, she knows her dad is on his own and that the landscape of farming is changing. She knows modernisation is coming into play on a lot of farms, people are making more money and more produce, and they want to be part of that. It’s really important to Helen to preserve the farm so that Jimmy and Rosie can experience it the way she did.
This series, more than ever, she has to have hard conversations with Richard about how they modernise things. There’s a really interesting storyline with Friesian cows, changing the breeds and producing more milk. As you can imagine, initially that conversation doesn’t go down well with Richard Alderson, who is very much set in his ways. That said, they’ve got a great relationship and I think they both trust and respect each other.
Series 7 introduces some new faces, including Granville Bennett. How does Granville shake things up for Helen and the Darrowby family?
Granville Bennett is a lovely energy. Helen first learns about him when she’s on her way back from London and a very flashy car speeds past them. You don’t know who it is and there’s a bit of an eye roll: who’s that? Of course, it’s Granville Bennett, larger than life and all the rest of it. Helen has always had quite a strong sense of self, so when these colourful characters come in, I think she’s able to sit back, be objective and have a look at it. Whereas Granville allows James to question himself a bit, question what he’s doing and what he’s providing.
Granville is all flash: he’s got the house, the car and the wife, or certainly it seems like that initially. I think that rocks James’s sense of self and worth. It affects Helen via James because she finds herself in a position where she’s bolstering him again and telling him to look beyond that, because often the cover isn’t the book. It’s fair to say James has a bit of a wobble in confidence, and I think Granville is probably the catalyst for that.
We get to see a lot more of Rosie and Jimmy this series. What was it like working with the young actors?
I love working with those two. They are my favourites. I love the other main cast, obviously, but for me, working with the kids is so much fun because it’s a bit like doing live theatre: you just never know what’s going to happen. When we’re doing big scenes with animals, you’ve got to be ready and know your lines inside out because the animals can do anything.
You go when the animal is ready and, when the animal is fed up, you stop. They dictate the pace and rhythm of the scene, and it’s the same with the kids. Rosie might do it twice and then go, ‘I don’t want to do it any more.’ She also knows her lines really, really well and knows when I don’t get mine right, so you get pulled up on that.
There’s always a bit of improvisation because she comments on whatever she sees. It’s exciting and keeps you on your toes, so I really love it. They’re cracking little actors and know exactly what they’re doing. Bella knew all the lingo by the end of it, saying things like “Bella stepping out!” when she had finished filming on seT. It is a pleasure to see them grow as little actors and to be in scenes with them because you’ve got this element of anything could happen, and I love that.
Do you think Helen wants the children to follow in her footsteps on the farm?
If James were honest, he’d want them to be vets, and if Helen were honest, she’d want them to be farmers. It is alluded to and there are a few scenes about that this series. I think she’d be lying if she said she wouldn’t be a bit disappointed if they didn’t want to. Little Rosie definitely loves being on the farm, getting her hands dirty and getting involved with the animals. Jimmy might be following in his dad’s footsteps a little bit. They’re so little as well, so who knows what might happen?
She definitely wants them to, and I think that’s probably a normal thing. She loves the farm. There’s such magic at the farm for her: watching things grow and the slow pace of life. It suits Helen, and I think she probably wants the kids to benefit from that as much as she did, really.
How is Helen feeling about Jimmy starting school?
I think it’s bittersweet. She’s incredibly proud of him, knows it’s part of his journey and that’s exciting. She also knows, as a parent, that the workload and the juggle might get a bit easier, or change at least, when he starts school. But there’s also that feeling of, ‘Oh my God, they’re growing up.’
There’s a moment when Helen and James see him off at the school gate, and it’s really emotional for her as he walks in wearing his uniform and looking as grown up as she’s ever seen him. There’s also a nice little bit about how he’s nervous, and it’s just a tender moment between the two of them.
Without giving too much away, which Helen storyline did you most enjoy filming this series?
That’s really hard. There are elements of a few of them and probably bits of all of them. I always like the stuff with Jenny because I’ve really enjoyed watching Jenny, and Imogen actually, grow as a person and come into her own a bit. This series, you see that she’s a young woman now. She’s felt like that before, but living away from home and being in the nurse’s uniform makes her look different. Helen has never seen anything like that.
Of course, Helen has only ever been away from Darrowby on her honeymoon and her quick visit to London last series. She doesn’t really move outside Darrowby and that circle, so there’s something a bit wild and exotic about Jenny now. That storyline and watching her grow is always a favourite. I love the stuff at home with the kids and James and having fun together, too. You certainly feel a bit more of that this series, which has been absent because more serious things have been going on in the world.
Do you have a favourite animal or animal storyline from this series?
I have a little story with a chicken, and it’s lovely for a couple of reasons. One, I just love working with the animals and don’t get to do it as often as I’d like. I actually got to do something with an animal that required it, and it was in front of the kids, so it was a different dynamic.
I think they got to see their mum in a different light, and she got to show a different side of herself, which she doesn’t usually. That particular strand with the chicken was lovely. I do like working with chickens, actually. Once they get very used to you, they’re very lovely and often fall asleep when you pick them up.
Looking back over seven series, what has been the most rewarding part of playing Helen for you so far?
I never stop thinking about how lucky I am because it’s such a beautiful show to be part of. It’s so rich in its simplicity. We feel like we’ve got such a lovely, loyal fan base that follows us around. When we’re filming in Grassington, which is our Darrowby, it’s like doing live theatre because there are so many people out supporting us now. That’s probably the nicest part. You get people from all over the world coming to watch, and sometimes they’re out there for 10 hours because they’re long days.
It’s just gorgeous and you get to have a chat with people. I think it’s a testament to Alf Wight and the beautiful stories that he created: the family, what they’re all about and, ultimately, stories about love, togetherness and looking after your bit of the world. That has never felt more relevant. So, really, it’s being part of something that means a lot to people.